Under Paris 2 is in development at Netflix, but do we really need another subterranean killer-shark flick?
- Netflix is developing a sequel to French shark movie Under Paris
- It’s currently the second most-watched non-English movie on Netflix
- Plot could include “a Paris that is entirely submerged under water”
Netflix is developing a sequel to its hit shark movie Under Paris, but I’m not sure I’m ready to sink my teeth into a second installment just yet.
Hailed as ‘Jaws set in France’, the French creature feature became a surprising success when it dropped on the best streaming service in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics in June. At the time of writing, Under Paris remains the second most-watched non-English film on Netflix, behind the Norwegian movie Troll.
Now, despite its post-apocalyptic ending, filmmaker Xavier Gens is diving back in for another deadly shark adventure with a sequel to Under Paris. The satirical plot focuses on a mutant killer shark lurking in France’s river Seine just as the World Triathlon Championships kick off in the city.
According to Variety, the key cast from the original film (the ones who weren’t chomped to pieces I mean) will return to go head-to-head with the mammoth man-eater, including Bérénice Bejo as grieving scientist Sophia and Nassim Lyes as police officer Adil.
What can we expect in Under Paris 2?
While there’s no plot details for Under Paris 2 just yet, the outrageous ending of the first installment along with director Gens’ hints paves the way for what could happen in the second film.
In an interview with Variety, Gens revealed that if a sequel was made “it will take place in a Paris that is entirely submerged under water” as well as dig deeper into the genre. But when will be seeing some more shark action? Well, sources close to the production have confirmed to Variety that Under Paris 2 is still in the early stages of development and shooting could start in 2026.
The Under Paris ending does set up a larger, global story for the next movie and could potentially move beyond Paris. However, I’m not sure we really need another ‘sharksploitation’ film franchise amongst the likes of Sharknado, Jaws, and Deep Blue Sea.
Under Paris’ stellar Netflix reputation suggests that the sequel will also be a success. But as it failed to become one of the best Netflix movies with its rather middling score of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and 30% audience score, the sequel may not make as much of a splash as the first.