Over a year since word first broke out about a sequel to French shark movie Under Paris, Netflix has finally got its act together and found a director to take the reins. And what a director it is; in Alexandra Aja, the streamer has sourced somebody who’s well-versed in underwater killers, having unleashed not just hungry alligators across a flooded Florida in 2019’s Crawl, but also needle-toothed fish in 2010’s Piranha 3D.
News of Aja’s involvement comes via The Hollywood Reporter, although it’s not clear why original director Xavier Gens has stepped aside for the follow-up. In a previous interview, Gens claimed that any future movies set in the Under Paris universe would take place in the “entirely submerged” capital city. Titled Sous la Seine (Under the Seine) in its homeland, the first movie followed marine researcher Sophia, who is forced to rid herself of past traumas to save Paris from a mutated shark that is able to survive in fresh water. A true B-movie for the streaming age, it even incorporated a meta line of inquiry into the 2024 Summer Olympics, which opened the River Seine for its triathlon and marathon swimming needs despite concerns over water pollution. The movie smartly warped that into a sea monster threat.
It’ll be fascinating to see where Under Paris 2 (let’s hope the filmmakers come up with a superior title!) goes following the events of the first one, which ended with other major cities being infested with fresh-water sharks. Will Gens’ tentative vision come to fruition, or could the waterscape of Venice provide a perfect location for the next phase of the franchise?
Sharks Are All the Rage at Netflix
Netflix appears to have well and truly caught the shark bug, so to speak. Perhaps buoyed by the major success of sleeper hit Under Paris, the streaming platform also has an untitled shark thriller from Violent Night director Tommy Wirkola in the bag. Known as Shiver and Beneath the Storm at different stages of its development, the movie was recently removed from Sony’s theatrical release calendar, and so HyperObject Industries producers Adam McKay and Kevin Messick had to find a new distributor. They commented, per Deadline:
“We couldn’t be more excited to be back in business with all our friends at Netflix on this film. We had a great experience together on Don’t Look Up and look forward to working with them to make this an event streaming release in 2026.”
Apart from the presence of these prehistoric beasts, nothing is known about the plot right now. But what we do know is that breakout Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor leads the cast alongside two-time Oscar-nominee Djimon Hounsou, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping‘s Whitney Peak.
- Release Date
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June 5, 2024
- Runtime
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101 Minutes
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
