THE MEG Will Be ‘JAWS on Steroids,’ Promises One of The Film’s Stars

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I’m not even sure if I’ve seen a trailer for The Meg. Regardless the film hits theaters this Friday and it has a pretty solid cast (Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose). From what I gather, the sci-fi horror film focuses on a prehistoric, 75-foot Megalodon emerging from the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean. Ahead of its release, the cast and crew of The Meg spoke with Variety earlier this week on the red carpet of the film’s premiere.

While Wilson exclaimed that “‘The Meg’ is ‘Jaws’ on steroids,” director Jon Turteltaub emphasized that the film is still somewhat family friendly with its PG-13 rating. Turteltaub commented, “You’d be surprised how quickly you can cross that line to R, depending on the amount of blood, so the big thing for me is not to change tone. If you suddenly go from a regular action movie to ‘The Exorcist,’ you’ve got a problem.”

That said, a lack of gore doesn’t automatically mean a horror film will stop being scary either. Actor Page Kennedy pointed out that “an underwater monster is the scariest thing. I’ve watched ‘Shark Tales,’ but being with sharks — not for me.”

Statham, the film’s lead star, previously had a history with swimming as a world-class diver for British Commonwealth teams prior to becoming an actor. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the actor was excited to have the opportunity to swim with real-life sharks for the film. He said, “In a cage, the heartbeat goes very quickly. But when you actually get down there, it’s very calm. I love anything associated with the ocean so for me it’s really not like going to work.”

Are you excited to see The Meg in theaters this Friday? Whatever your thoughts, be sure to share them with us in the comments section below!

SOURCE: Variety