Mayhem maestro Eli Roth is getting out of the waters surrounding the long-in-development giant shark movie Meg, with new reports suggesting that Jon Turteltaub might replace him as director on the project.
An adaptation of Steve Alten’s best-selling book “Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror,” Meg has been tossed around Hollywood since it was housed at Disney in 1997. Thanks to the disappointing box office of the similarly-themed Deep Blue Sea, the adaptation got shelved for nearly two decades. Cue that fan-favorite megaladon in Jurassic World and the modest box office success of the Chris Pratt-starring dino movie, and Warner Bros. (the new home of Meg) is eager to get the ball rolling again.
The new screenplay has made a few changes to Alten’s source material, but largely keeps the deep sea terror intact.
Here’s a quick synopsis:
“The book revolves around two men who band together to fight an ancient shark threatening the California coast. The Megaladon, considered one of the largest and most powerful predators in history, can reach a length of 60 feet.”
The shift from gorehound Roth to family-friendly Turteltaub (National Treasure, The Sorceror’s Apprentice, Cool Runnings) makes sense considering the PG-13 success of Jurassic World. If Warner Bros. really wants to replicate the success of that movie, they could still push the boundaries of the rating while keeping it viewable for families.
Turteltaub also has some horror credentials (okay, one): he directed and served as executive producer on the tragically unseen CBS event series Harper’s Island. Still, it seems like he could definitely walk the line between action-adventure and violence for Meg.
