Thailand torpedoes ‘Meg 2’ filming in Krabi to protect beaches

The team producing a sequel to a sci-fi monster movie was told today they cannot shoot in the Thai south due to environmental concerns.

Krabi province officials on Tuesday rejected a request to shoot scenes for Meg 2: The Trench in April and May at attractions such as the Railay, Ton Sai and Phra Nang beaches.

Provincial Gov. Puttipong Sirimat said shooting the helicopter and jet ski scenes with a nearly 400-strong film crew would harm the environment and thus violate regulations put in place to stem degradation by banning jet skis, parasailing, banana boats and umbrellas on the beach.

Puttipong added that his team also fears that, if allowed, the movie might present the “wrong image” of Krabi to audiences, leading them to believe tourists can ride a jet ski there. Because certainly audiences assume everything in a prehistoric shark vs. Jason Statham film is 100% reality-accurate.

According to Thai PBS, the provincial administrative committee was split. Some agreed with letting it go forward, citing the transformative impact of 2000’s The Beach, which was shot in Maya Bay, which made the attraction famous worldwide. 

The 2018 original film was a Chinese co-production, and although it depicted Statham’s diver Jonas Taylor as a washup living above a Thai bar, no scenes were shot int he kingdom.

In 2021 alone, more than 70 foreign film projects were shot in Thailand, credited with bringing in roughly THB3.4 billion (US$103 million). The United States accounted for most of that (THB2.5 billion), followed by Hong Kong (THB250 million), Singapore (THB220 million), France (THB120 million) and China (THB85 million), according to government data.

Puttipong said that while he wants income to boost the local economy, he is afraid the environmental damage may not be “worth it.”

Filming on Meg 2: The Trench, directed by Ben Wheatley, began earlier this month in the United Kingdom at a Warner Bros studio in Leavesden.