Ben Wheatley is known for directing horror, but his best-known work includes the quiet sort of horror from psychological thrillers like “Kill List” and thrilling mysteries like “Rebecca” – as opposed to screamfests such as “Meg 2: The Trench.”
What made Wheatley want to direct the sequel to the surprise 2018 hit “The Meg“?
“There’s something very blue-collar about all of it, the nuts and bolts, and they’re not superheroes,” Wheatley told Total Film magazine in 2021 of the characters of the “Meg” movies. “Even though they do quite outlandish stuff, there’s a vulnerability to them, which is exciting. There’s something about the superhero genre where, much as I enjoy it, as it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, there are problems with the way they’re just invulnerable. That lessens the tension. I like human risk. That side of it is interesting to me.”
More than the characters, Wheatley is also all praises for the casting because the international makeup of the cast reflects back the nature of global scientific ventures. “Our cast is based around the realism found in the world of science,” says Wheatley in another interview. “Usually, an oceanic research group would be pulling the best people from all over the globe, with a mix of people from everywhere.”
Wheatley is also known for the dark comedy and action in some of his films, and with “Meg 2” starring Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing, expect plenty of heart-pounding action! Jason Statham is always keen to do as many of his own stunts as possible, and about Wu Jing, Wheatley shares that at one point while filming an explosive sequence, Jing volunteered to have a camera strapped to him to get an up-close shot of the actual explosions. Wheatley explains, “We did that a few times with Wu Jing and it always turned out well. It really puts the viewer into the action when you do that. He was always ready to do anything, and never a complaint. I think he could break his leg and he’d still be going, ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’”
Watch “Meg 2: The Trench,” opening in Philippine cinemas August 2.