Li Bingbing Will Not Be Returning for The Meg 2

Although it was rumored she would be returning, it has been confirmed that Li Bingbing will not be appearing in the upcoming sequel Meg 2: The Trench. The original Meg, which was directed by blockbuster maven Jon Turteltaub, came to theaters in 2018 and hit #21 on the chart of highest-grossing domestic films for the year. The film, which was based on Steve Alten’s novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, follows the crew of an underwater research facility that accidentally releases a prehistoric megalodon from the depths of the Mariana Trench. The star-studded international ensemble cast included Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Cliff Curtis, and Heroes‘ Masi Oka.

Production has been ramping up quickly on Meg 2, which will be based on Steve Alten’s follow-up novel The Trench. The sequel began filming with Statham in early February, at the same time that they announced the official title. The project is being directed by Ben Wheatley, who before now has been working largely in the indie field, helming films like Sightseers, High-Rise, and Free Fire, though his most recent project was the midbudget remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rebecca starring Armie Hammer and Lily James.

Per Variety, as production on Meg 2 continues, it has officially been confirmed that Li Bingbing will not be returning for a second dip in the franchise. Li originally played Suyin, an oceanographer working with her father Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao). Her daughter Meiying (Sophia Cai) is also present at the facility and Suyin must team up with Statham’s gruff former rescue diver Jonas Taylor to protect her from the massive undersea menace.

Although Li Bingbing will not be returning, Meg 2 has onboarded another huge international star. Joining the cast is Wu Jing, the highest-grossing actor in Chinese box office history. He directed and starred in the massively popular 2015 action film Wolf Warrior and its sequel, the latter of which became the #7 film worldwide in the box office that year, the only foreign-language film in the top 10. Likewise, his latest project, 2021’s The Battle at LakeChangjin, was the #1 film for most of the year before being supplanted by the megablockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Meg 2: The Trench is certainly hoping to capture the same international appeal as the first film. It remains to be seen if the same interest can be resurrected after such a long gap between films, especially for a film that was never expected to become a major franchise. However, if anybody can help boost the box office take of the project, it’s Wu Jing.

Source: Variety

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