"There’s a lot more to the series than people think": Novelist Steve Alten on the success of ‘The Meg’ and the possibility of a sequel

This is novelist Steve Alten’s first novel that was adapted into a feature film, the experience has been one unlike any other.
PUBLISHED SEP 1, 2018

Novelist Steve Alten has been on a whirlwind since the release of ‘The Meg’, which was based on his New York Times best-selling novel. Having grossed over 110 million in the past three weeks, ‘The Meg’ has become a summer blockbuster. The film stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, and Cliff Curtis. As this is Alten’s first novel that was adapted into a feature film, the experience has been one unlike any other and Meaww was thrilled to sit down with him to talk about the surreal experience.

“It was exciting seeing it on the big screen for the first time because it was a great movie and there were different markers from the book that came out that was exciting to see. I think they really brought it to life. The filmmakers truly did a great job of creating this new world," he says.

However, Hollywood can be tough and so can the reviews, especially considering the film is based on an extremely popular book franchise. With that being said, many critics did take to the film and as for the ones that didn’t, that’s just part of this industry and didn’t bother Alten at all.  And most importantly, the die-hard ‘Meg’ fans from all around the world (known as #MegHeads) were thrilled, and for a novelist, that’s all you can really ask for.

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