In the years since NBC’s The Office ended, Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the long-running show, has taken on a lot of smaller roles in such indie films and TV shows as The Boy, Roadies and Adventure Time, but a new report from Deadline confirms that the Emmy-nominated actor isn’t looking to turn his back on studio movie-making either.
Wilson has signed on to play a lead role alongside Jason Statham in New Line Cinema’s horror-adventure Meg. In the film, which centers around a prehistoric shark who surfaces off the coast of modern day China to wreck havoc, the actor will portray a tech billionaire. The character apparently “funds an underwater observation program that unwittingly unleashes the Carcharodon megalodon – a 70-foot, 40-ton prehistoric cousin of the great white.”
Based on Steve Alten’s 1997 book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, the movie has been in development for years, with directors ranging from Guillermo del Toro to Eli Roth all circling the project at some point. Currently, Jon Turteltaub, of National Treasure fame, is on board to direct, while Dean Georgaris and James Vanderbilt have been on scripting duties.
From this year until the end of 2017, Wilson will be popping up in a number of films, including Robodog, Army of One and Permanent. His most high-profile role, however, will be in Smurfs: The Lost Village as Gargamel.
Meg also stars Ruby Rose, Bingbing Fan, Jessica McNamee and Lee Shone and is set for release on March 2nd, 2018.
Originally published August 19, 2016. Updated June 30, 2023.
