Ben Wheatley is really hoping he'll get to make a Meg 3

Meg 2: The Trench hasn't been released yet, but that hasn't stopped director Ben Wheatley from imagining what a third installment in the shark-centered series would look like. That said, though, he's keen not to jinx the second chapter before it's had a chance to make a splash in cinemas...

"You don't want to talk about it until Meg 2 is out," Wheatley jokes in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, July 20, when asked about the possibility of The Meg 3. "But I hope so. There's a lot more to explore in that world. It's very rich. The international-ness of it is very interesting. 

"What's so smart about the first film is that it's not Rush Hour. It's not East-meets-West, 'Oh, we're all confused about each other,'" Wheatley, who took over directing duties from the original's helmer Jon Turteltaub, continued. "It's just people working together, and being in an everyday adventure, and the people just happen to come from places all over the world. I think that's good for audiences, and it's a good message as well."

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Taking inspiration from Steve Alten's 1999 novel, Meg 2: The Trench sees Jason Statham's Jonas Taylor put together a team for an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean, and investigate some strange goings-on down there. During the mission, they discover that a bunch of prehistoric megalodons, even bigger than the ones seen in the previous movie, is lurking well beneath the surface... and judging by the official trailer, some other huge creatures, too.

It will be released on August 4. Cliff Curtis, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Sienna Guillory, and Skyler Samuels round out the supporting cast.

This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features Gareth Edwards' new movie The Creator on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, July 20. Check out the covers below:

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