Jason Statham is set to star in the action/adventure thriller Meg, a big-screen adaptation of Steve Alten’s 1997 bestseller Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, about a naval captain facing the tragic consequences of encountering a gigantic prehistoric sea creature, believed to be extinct. The movie has been in the works for awhile. The success of the last year’s similarly themed Jurassic World is likely one reason why Meg is generating so much buzz.

Statham will play the leading character, Jonas Taylor. The only other character cast so far is Suyin Zhang, who will be played by X-Men: Days of Future Past actress Bingbing Fan.

Alten described his novel as follows: “On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he’s sure he saw but still can’t prove exists—Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. It takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub.”

The screenplay was written by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man franchise), Dean Georgaris (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: the Cradle of Life), and Belle Avery (Malevolence).

The film is being directed by Jon Turteltaub, who is best known for the National Treasure film franchise.

Jason Statham is currently filming Furious 8, reprising his role as Deckard Shaw. The actor will soon be seen in the crime thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, due out August 26.

Meg is now in pre-production and is set for release on March 2, 2018.