China’s highest-grossing male actor of all time has joined the cast following the news of Li Bingbing’s exit from the sequel.
After filming had recently begun on the upcoming sequel Meg 2: The Trench, some major casting shakeups have just been announced. Per Variety, original Meg star Li Bingbing will not be reprising her role as the oceanographer Suyin as had been expected.
Along with the news of her exit from the film comes the addition of Wu Jing, the highest-grossing male actor in China who comes into the new Meg film in a substantial role. Bingbing’s exit means that “there is no female Chinese lead at this time, but there is Sophia, the teenage daughter, lots of women, and an incredibly diverse cast.”
This suggests that Sophia Cai, who played Li’s daughter in The Meg, is returning alongside original star Jason Statham. Ben Wheatley is in the director’s chair for Meg 2: The Trench, though screenwriters Dean Georgari, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber returned to pen the screenplay.
Along with Statham and new cast member Wu Jing, the sequel stars Ray Strachan, Sienna Guillory, Skyler Samuels, and Sergio Peris-Mencheta. Filming began earlier this month. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and based on the book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Allen, The Meg was a big hit at the box office when it was released in 2018.
The film follows a group of scientists who encounter a 75-foot-long megalodon shark while on a rescue mission on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winton Chao, and Cliff Curtis.
Wu Jing Brings Star Power to Meg 2: The Trench
A former martial artist, Wu Jing has found great success in China on both sides of the camera. Though he previously appeared in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li, he is best known for his work in China.
This notably includes writing and directing 2015’s Wolf Warrior, which struck well with $80 million earned at the box office. Its sequel, 2017’s Wolf Warrior 2, went on to become one of China’s highest-grossing films ever at $870 million.
Over the past several years, Wu has repeatedly been featured in films that have topped $100 million at the box office. After starring in films like The Wandering Earth, My People My Country, and My People, My Parents, Wu starred in The Battle at Lake Changjin — the second-highest-grossing movie of 2021 and China’s all-time highest-grossing film with a $913 million haul. Its sequel, The Battle at Lake Changjin II, was released earlier this month and has already grossed more than $572 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far.
Wu Jing’s casting will be bringing a lot of attention to Meg 2: The Trench when the anticipated sequel is released. As of now, an official release date hasn’t been set by the studio, but the project will continue shooting over the next few months after the cast and crew started rolling cameras earlier this month.
