'Deep Blue Sea 2' Gets R Rating, Premiering in 2018

Since the debut of Jaws in 1975, horror movie fans have had an insatiable hunger to consume cinema focused on the impressive fish, inspiring countless tales in which the animal is the villain. The sequel to 1999's Deep Blue Sea is coming to SYFY next year and has reportedly been rated R for "creature violence and gore, and for language."

According to SYFY, "The plot kicks off with shark conservationist Dr. Misty Calhoun invited to consult on a top-secret project run by pharmaceutical billionaire Carl Durant (Michael Beach). Calhoun is shocked to learn that the company is using the unpredictable and highly aggressive bull sharks as its test subjects. You can probably guess where this goes next, and Warner Bros. teases some 'personality' from the sharks that'll be menacing these hapless humans."

The original film didn't make a big splash at the box office but, in the years since its release, the film has gained a cult following for the sheer absurdity of its premise.

Thomas Jane (The Punisher), LL Cool J, Saffron Burrows (The Bank Job) and Samuel L. Jackson all starred in the original film, yet none of which are slated to appear in the sequel.

"We are a true sequel. We wanted to keep to the spirit of Deep Blue Sea and why people love it," creative executive for Warner Bros Matt Bierman explained. "The research that was used on the sharks in Deep Blue Sea 2 comes from the mythology and storyline of the first movie. We have given the lead shark a personality and hope the fans will embrace that as it really helps the storytelling and the narrative in a way that first one didn't. Deep Blue Sea 2 has a slightly slower build but once the rubber band snaps things go boom really quickly!"

In 2009, Warner Bros. attempted to create a sequel, tapping Jack Perez to create the concept.

"The script is about this scientific research ship that is seized by Somali pirates, and a team of Navy SEALs have to go in and take them out," Perez told Birth Movies Death of his idea. "The whole ship is basically a gigantic floating laboratory, with a maze of tunnels that the sharks can travel through that open up into tanks."

He added, "My thinking was that this was Sgt. Rock vs. sharks, so I developed this platoon kind of based on my favorite Sgt. Rock characters. To a certain degree, it was similar to what they did in Predator; there were definitely echoes of that sort of motley group."

Stay tuned for details on the premiere of Deep Blue Sea 2 in 2018.

[H/T UHM]