The Meg, starring Jason Statham, has begun shooting its sequel in the UK, according to Variety. The shark thriller, Meg 2: The Trench has begun production at the Warner Bros owned Leavesden Studios outside of London. The Harry Potter and Batman franchises were also shot here. 

The film, about a prehistoric, murderous, 80-foot long shark is to be directed by Ben Wheatly (Rebecca), taking over from Jon Turteltaub who helmed the first film. The first installment of the franchise took home $350 million worldwide. 

The original stars of the film, Statham and Bingbing Li are expected to reprise their roles in the sequel. Statham plays a U.S. Navy rescue diver and Li as oceanographer Suyin. Statham was actually a world-class diver in real life too. Before he became an actor, he competed in the 1990 Commonwealth games as a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad. 

Additionally, Dean Georgaris, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber have returned as the screenwriters for the mega sharks’ return to the big screen.

The Meg is based on Steve Alten’s 1997 book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, in which Statham in the film adaptation battles a monstrous and prehistoric shark after discovering it has emerged from the ocean’s deepest trenches.