Move over "Sharknado," because now there's a much bigger shark in the metaphorical water. After 20 years in development, Variety has learned that the film adaptation of Steve Alten's novel "Meg" is finally close to getting the go-ahead. Director Eli Roth ("Cabin Fever," "Hostel") is currently in talks with Warner Bros. to helm the film focusing on a giant, prehistoric shark. To give you an idea of how long "Meg" has been swimming unseen in the depths of Hollywood, the film was originally set up at Disney in 1997 and put on the backburner after "Deep Blue Sea" -- another shark-centric movie -- failed to perform at the box office.

The film will be based on the 1997 book "Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror" and will tell the tale of two men's fight against a not-quite-extinct Megalodon. Instead of taking place off the coast of California, however, the adaptation will now be set in China -- a move that Variety notes was done to ensure that Gravity Pictures would come on board as co-financier.

If he signs on, Roth will direct "Meg" from a screenplay adaptation by Dean Georgaris ("The Manchurian Candidate"). Belle Avery is on board to produce through Apelles Entertainment while Colin Wilson will produce through Maeday Productions. "Meg" has Gerald Molen, Wayne Wei Jiang and Randy Greenberg attached as executive producers.