Meg 2: The Trench (titled Shark 2 in some territories^[2]) is a 2023 science fiction action film directed by Ben Wheatley and a sequel to The Meg (2018), based on the 1999 novel The Trench by Steve Alten. Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris all return as writers from the first film, with Jason Statham, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, and Cliff Curtis reprising their roles alongside Wu Jing, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Skyler Samuels. Like the previous film, it follows a group of scientists who must outrun and outswim the megalodons when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.

Plans for the sequel were announced to be in early development in October 2018 after the box office success of the first film. Principal photography began in February 2022 and lasted until May, occurring in various locations in Asia and Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.

Meg 2: The Trench had its premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 9, 2023, and was released in the United States on August 4, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received negative reviews but was a box office success, grossing $397.7 million worldwide.

Five years after the events of the first film, Jonas Taylor has been involved in fighting environmental crimes while helping Mana One explore the Mariana Trench, where the Megalodon had been found. Following the death of Jonas' wife Suyin Zhang, he has been raising her teenage daughter Meiying alongside her uncle and Suyin's brother Jiuming Zhang. Jiuming acquired his father's company alongside wealthy financier Hillary Driscoll. Mana One has been studying an 80 ft (24 m) female Meg called Haiqi, who was discovered as a pup and trained by Jiuming in a reserve in Hainan.

Jonas and Jiuming lead a routine submersible exploration to the Trench. Fellow Meg survivors DJ and Mac observe them from the Mana One. The subs are pursued by Haiqi, who has escaped captivity; the subs dive through the thermocline to escape, where they encounter two much larger Megs, a massive alpha male and a beta male, who mate with Haiqi. Jiuming realizes that Haiqi had been acting strange because it is mating season; she was calling the other Megs to mate. The team also discovers an illegal mining operation captained by mercenary Montes, who has a vendetta against Jonas for his imprisonment some time before. Montes' crew was hired by the secretly corrupt Driscoll to use the Mana One's access to the Trench to farm rare-earth minerals that could earn them billions. Montes kills his crew in an explosion to cover up their activities, which causes a rupture in the Trench and grounds the team's ships.

DJ, Mac, and Mana One analyst Jess discover that the rescue pod has been sabotaged, forcing the crew to use exosuits to walk toward Montes' station, with only four of them surviving the journey. Jess reveals herself as a traitor and attempts to remotely kill the four, but they escape in a submersible. As the crew surfaces, they discover that the rupture from earlier has caused several Trench creatures, including the three Megs, lizard-like creatures known as Snappers and a giant octopus to escape to the surface.

Jess is devoured by a Meg when it bites through a window thought to be "Meg-proof." Jonas’ team escapes to a nearby resort, Fun Island. Driscoll, Montes, and the mercenaries arrive at Fun Island to kill Jonas' crew, but are attacked by the Snappers, who devour Driscoll. Jonas' group splits to evacuate the tourists as the Megs and the octopus attack. Jonas kills the male Meg before being attacked by Montes. He knocks Montes into the mouth of the biggest Meg to be eaten. Jiuming creates a bomb out of fertilizer and takes over Driscoll's helicopter with Mac.

The octopus takes down the helicopter and Jiuming injures it with his bomb, attracting Haiqi, who kills the octopus. Jonas uses one of the helicopter's rotors to fatally impale the biggest Meg. Haiqi heads towards Jonas, Jiuming, and Mac, but Jiuming uses his training signals to redirect her to a pod of dolphins. As the group settles on the beach and celebrates their survival, Jiuming mentions the possibility that Haiqi is pregnant.

• Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor, Meiying's stepfather and the husband of the late Suyin Zhang
• Wu Jing as Jiuming Zhang, Meiying's uncle^[6]
• Sophia Cai as Meiying, Jiuming's niece and Jonas' stepdaughter^[7]
• Cliff Curtis as Mac, Mana One operations manager^[7]
• Page Kennedy as DJ, an engineer at Mana One^[7]
• Sergio Peris Mencheta as Montes, a mercenary in charge of illegal mining operations
• Skyler Samuels as Jess, a Mana One worker
• Melissanthi Mahut as Rigas, a security officer at Mana One
• Whoopie Van Raam as Curtis, a diver at Mana One
• Kiran Sonia Sawar as Sal, a diver at Mana One
• Felix Mayr as Lance, a diver at Mana One
• Sienna Guillory as Driscoll, a billionaire investor who is financing Jiuming's efforts in the Mana One^[8]

Meg 2: The Trench was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on August 4, 2023.^[7] The film had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 9, 2023.^[22]

In July 2023, Wheatley stated there had been internal discussions about a potential third installment. While its development depends on the success of The Trench, he hopes to continue the story as outlined in the novels by Steve Alten.^[32]

• List of underwater science fiction works