It wouldn't be summer without new shark horror movies to look forward. Thanks to Saban Films, the new film Maneater is coming to theaters, On Demand, and digital on Aug. 26, 2022. You can get a sneak peek at the shark horror flick by watching the official trailer below.
Maneater is written and directed by Justin Lee. It stars Nicky Whelan, Trace Adkins, Jeff Fahey, and Shane West. The film is produced by Daemon Hillin via Hilline Entertainment. Executive producers include Adkins, Joseph Lanius, Simon Williams, Landon Gorman of BGG Capital, and Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International. You can read the official synopsis for the movie below.
What better place to drown your sorrows than an idyllic island paradise? That was the idea when Jesse’s friends convinced her to not let a broken engagement stand in the way of enjoying her prepaid honeymoon. Their sorrows weren’t the only thing going to drown on their trip especially with a man-eating shark swimming just below the surface.
Maneater Uses a Practical Shark
Maneater star Trace Adkins is known primarily for his country music success, though he has appeared in many films and TV shows over the years. In recent years, he appeared in the western films Badland, Apache Junction, and Old Henry. He will soon be back on the small screen as well with a main role in the upcoming drama Monarch, which follows a country music family. It premieres on Fox on Sept. 11.
Adkins teams back up with producer Daemon Hillin after previously working on Apache Junction. Speaking with The Action Elite, Hillin spoke about working with Adkins on Maneater and how the production had invested into a practical shark with the goal of making a shark horror movie that's more reminiscent of Jaws, which is, of course, widely considered to be the best shark horror film of all time, still serving as an inspiration for others.
"I just shot another [movie] with [writer-director] Justin Lee," Hillin said. "We made a practical shark, which we invested a lot of money into to make a Jaws-style film. It’s called Maneater and has Trace Adkins hunting a shark, with a shotgun. We also have Nicky Whelan, who was amazing, along with Porscha Coleman, and Shane West from A Walk to Remember."
In a separate interview with Fandomized, the producer went on to add, "I just shot a film in Maui, and it was with Justin Lee again. So for that film, Maneater, we made a practical shark, we built a practical Jaws-style shark. We went in a totally different direction on this. We went from a Western to a Jaws-style movie. And we ended up working with Trace Adkins again. We had a great cast on that one, we had Trace Adkins and Nicky Whelan, and Shane West. We shot that in Maui, so it was a totally different vibe."
Meaneater will be released in theaters, On Demand, and digital on Aug. 26, 2022.