Manyhorror fanscheered when it was revealed thatEli Rothhad come aboard to direct thebig screen adaptationof the best selling novelMeg. But now, the mastermind behind neo-horror classics such asCabin FeverandHostelhas quietly bail. Warner Bros. is eyeingNational TreasuredirectorJon Turteltaubto take over the long-gestating project.
Warner Bros. is moving forward on the thriller in conjunction with China-based Gravity, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura producing. The film has been twenty-years in the making, with the latest script coming fromDean Georgaris, best known for his work on such varied fare asLife of Pi,The Craziesremake and the comedyWhat Happens in Vegas. Belle Avery and Colin Wilson are also on as co-producers.
Gravity holds the rights to release the movie in China. The story follows a giant prehistoricsharkthat has taken to eating swimmers off the China coast. The locals soon discover that it is aMegaladon, considered one of the largest and most powerful predators in history. This mammoth shark can grow to over 60 feet and is quite dangerous.
Disney first attempted to turn Meg into a movie way back in 1997. Many different parties have tried to mount the adaptation since that time, all failing to succeed. Many believed that Eli Roth would finally be the force that cracked the code. But that obviously didn’t happen.
Now, sources close to the project claim that it will really happen this time. And thatJon Turteltaubwill finally be the mastermind that brings this hard to adapt story to the big screen. Warner Bros. and Gravity are hoping to ride the wave of success experienced byJurassic Worldthis past summer, which has a sequel coming in 2018. Before taking on Meg,Jon Turteltaubdealt with a very different kind of old dinosaur in the geriatric comedyLast Vegas. These two movies couldn’t be more different from each other. What do you think? Sad to see Eli Roth go? Or is this change for the best?
