Why isn’t Li Bingbing in The Meg 2?
Warner Bros.With Meg 2: The Trench streaming on Max now, fans are still asking the question: where is Li Bingbing as Suyin Zhang? Here’s what we know about why the star didn’t return for the shark movie sequel.
The first Meg introduced Statham’s Jonas Taylor, a diver who left the sea behind him after having to leave two of his men behind when they were attacked by a megalodon. He returned for a new mission, teaming up with Bingbing’s Suyin Zhang, a Mana One researcher.
In the sequel, Taylor is tasked with “leading a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean”, but their “voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival” against giant sharks and other creatures.
Jonas and Suyin were set up to be a couple following the events of the first movie, but Bingbing hasn’t returned for The Meg 2 – why?
Why isn’t Li Bingbing in The Meg 2?
The exact reasons for Li Bingbing leaving The Meg 2 were not confirmed – but it seems like she’s just been busy.
Since The Meg’s release in 2018, the actress has only starred in one movie: 2022’s Ordinary Hero. She’s also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for China and the founder of L.O.V.E., a charity dedicated to promoting an environmentally friendly, low-carbon lifestyle.
It could be said that Bingbing’s growing environmental work could have changed if her acting career remains a priority – especially for a man-kills-beast film like Meg 2.
We’ve yet to see how the movie specifically addresses her absence, but we know her character’s daughter Meiying (played by Shuya Sophia Cai) will return in the sequel, so we’d expect to hear something about her whereabouts; she could be dead, or perhaps she’s off on a research mission and Jonas has been asked to look after Meiying for a while.
Who knows, maybe she’ll make a surprise return in The Meg 3?
While the movie lost one Chinese superstar, it managed to replace her with another: Wu Jing, star of The Wandering Earth movies and several martial arts flicks.
You can check out our other Meg 2 coverage below: