Is Meg 2: The Trench to start streaming on Max? Premiere date, time, and more about the sequel

After making unsatisfactory box office earnings, Meg 2: The Trench is now set to release on Max this Friday, September 29, 2023, at 3 am ET (tentative time). The streaming service recently made the announcement via a post on X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the news.

Starring Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor, the sequel debuted in theaters in early August and has made nearly $390 million globally after receiving harsh reviews from critics and viewers alike, thus failing to meet Warner Bros' expectations.

Meg 2: The Trench follows the events of the 2018 film, The Meg. The sequel takes place a couple of years after Jonas' first encounter with the prehistoric shark and features multiple other monstrous sea beasts.

Since the films are based on Steve Alten's novel series, which comprises seven books of the same name, the franchise will return with more works. The same is indicated at the end of the latest installment.

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Meg 2: The Trench focuses on multiple mega-beasts and indicates the possibility of other sequels

The Meg was a box office success despite receiving mixed reviews, unlike the sequel. Jonas Taylor's (Jason Statham) deep-sea adventures start in the first movie, which centers around his character, a diver with expertise in search and rescue who undertakes a mission to stop a Megalodon Shark after it attacks a research submarine.

Jonas returns in Meg 2: The Trench, which takes place five years after the events of the first film, to explore the trench alongside his crewmates DJ (Page Kennedy), Mac (Cliff Curtis), and Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai). Only this time, the deep-sea diver also fights environmental crimes. The film also features an antogonist, Sergio Peris-Mencheta's Montes, an environmental criminal.

The sequel changes course a bit, and unlike the 2018 film, which primarily revolved around one mega-shark, it comprises several mega-beasts. In fact, the concluding scene even indicates the presence of a second Megalodon shark.

A synopsis, as per the official Meg Movie website, says,

"Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival."

It further reads,

"Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time."

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Meg 2: The Trench cast and other details

Meg 2: The Trench is directed by Ben Wheatley alongside Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris, who worked on the screenplay. Also, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Belle Avery served as producers, while Jason Statham, Cate Adams, Ruigang Li, Catherine Xujun Ying, Wu Jing, E. Bennett Walsh, Erik Howsam, Gerald R. Molen, and Randy Greenberg served as executive producers.

Looper reported that aside from the actors reprising their roles, several new additions were made to the cast, including Sienna Guillory as Hillary Driscoli, Skyler Samuels as Jess, Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Montes, and Wu Jing as Jiuming Zhang, among others.

According to CBR, the concluding scenes of Meg 2: The Trench also raise the possibility that the franchise will adapt more of Steve Alten's books into movies in the near future. The next books in Alten's book series are Meg: Primal Waters and Meg: Purgatory, which comes with a crossover novel, Vostok, and serves as a prequel to Meg: Nightstalkers.

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Meg 2: The Trench will be available to stream on Max starting September 29, 2023.