Blockbusters like Meg 2: The Trench live and die by the decisions made behind the scenes. With decades of development paving the way for the Ben Wheatley-directed return of Jason Statham’s Jonas Taylor, the hero created by author Steve Alten has waged war with prehistoric beasties yet again. Yet in earlier phases of development, another Fast Saga vet had Alten’s imagination held captive in the casting department.
This was something I had learned from my recent interview with Steve Alten, as we were gathered to honor not only the recent release of the sequel to 2018’s The Meg, but also the new collected edition of Alten novels named Meg: Legacy. As such, the past, present and future was on the table for the taking; which led Steve to reveal the most ridiculous Meg change from an earlier iteration.
However, if we saw The Meg adapted in its 1997, or perhaps even with its 2005 attempts, Steve Alten admitted to CinemaBlend that he had the following actor in mind:
I would say…Snake Plisken. Yes, a younger Kurt Russell. I thought he’d be perfect for it at the time. Jason Statham was my choice in 2016/2017.
I certainly can’t complain that The Statham nabbed the role of Jonas Taylor, as his gruff, but witty demeanor has continually proved him to be a talent worthy of any action spectacle. Both The Meg and Meg 2 bank on that rather effectively, to the point where watching Jason Statham take on several prehistoric giants with exploding spears requires very little suspension of disbelief.
If the former Transporter lead can believe it’s happening, it’s easy for the audience to let go and buy into that same world. Those skills are a prerequisite to sustain this sort of project, which is exactly why Kurt Russell is such an insanely perfect “what if” to talk out. Especially if you consider the 1997 version of the project, which could have put the Disney legend in business with his former employer’s subsidiary, Hollywood Pictures.
What’s better, at that time, Russell had starred in Executive Decision and Escape From L.A., both of which had the man ready for action and deadpan one-liners aplenty. Take a look at the trailer for the latter film, and imagine the Meg movie that could have existed:
An aquatic adventure with a late ‘90s Kurt Russell in the lead sounds like a formula for a movie that could have cleaned up. Alas, the troubled development history of The Meg saw several drafts that just couldn’t get the support they needed to get into production. This led to Steve Alten’s friend and Meg producer Belle Avery to continue fighting the good fight.
After having the rights revert back to his possession twice, the combination of crucial investors and Warner Bros’ studio backing gave the world another creature feature to sink its teeth into. What’s more, Alten’s choice for the most faithful Meg adaptation happens to be that introductory movie, something that was probably helped along by the performance of the man who got his breakout role in Lock, Stock, and Two Smokin’ Barrels shortly after Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror became a bestselling hit.
When it came time to finally cast Jonas Taylor in The Meg, which is currently available to stream with a Max subscription, Steve Alten wasn’t asked about who he’d want to cast as his action hero creation. However, there was a short list that he was shown by producer Belle Avery, and the only name he remembers from that roster is Jason Statham. Which is good, because as Alten further revealed, his enthusiasm seemed to be trending in the right direction:
I was never even asked. My manager was the lead producer of both movies, Belle Avery. She showed me the list and I said, off the list, definitely Statham. And everyone was leaning that way anyway.
Landing Jonas Taylor was a pretty solid gig for Jason, as this was the point in his career where his involvement in the Fast Saga was heating up. As Kurt Russell is another integral part of that same series, one has to wonder if these cinematic colleagues have ever talked about this bit of Meg trivia in the past, or if it’ll somehow come up in the future.
For the moment, it’s still a bit hard to shake the idea of a late-’90s Russell fighting off a megalodon, despite Statham undoubtedly owning the role for himself. The good news is if you’re a Jason Statham fan, you’re pretty covered for seeing the man in action, starting with the fact that Meg 2: The Trench is currently showing in theaters.
Even better, you can see Statham stick it to some sharks in 3D, with our Meg 2 To 3D assessment available to help you decide if that version’s right for you. And if you’re looking for something at home, you can see Deckard Shaw make up with Han Lue in Fast X, which is currently available for purchase or rental on various digital platforms and physical formats.
