'Meg 2: The Trench' director Ben Wheatley wants to turn the series into a full blown franchise.

The filmmaker is at the helm of the killer shark sequel - which sees Jason Statham reprise his role as rescue diver Jonas Taylor - and while he doesn't want to get carried away, he thinks there is "a lot more to explore" in another follow up.

He told Total Film magazine: "You don't want to talk about it until 'Meg 2' is out, but I hope [to see a third installment].

"There's a lot more to explore in that world. It's very rich. The international-ness of it is very interesting."

He praised the first movie for having a diverse cast without putting too much of a focus on their differences.

He added: "What's so smart about the first film is that it's not 'Rush Hour'. It's not East-meets-West, 'Oh, we're all confused about each other'.

"It's just people working together, and being in an everyday adventure, and the people just happen to come from places all over the world.

"I think that's good for audiences, and it's a good message as well."

The new movie sees Statham back after starring in the 2018 original, while he teams up with 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' actor Wu Jing, who plays Jiuming.

Together, they have to lead a research team to explore the ocean's depths.

The synopsis teases: "Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.

"Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time."