Jason Statham: Movie Star - and Commonwealth Games Diver!

Action hero Jason Statham has reportedly started shooting a film about a giant prehistoric shark attack in Auckland.

Filming of Meg, a sci-fi film based on Steve Alten's 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, is understood to be underway in the Auckland suburb of Glen Eden, home to production studio Studio West.

Meg is due for a 2018 release and is directed by Jon Turtletaub. Chinese actress Fan Bingbing co-stars alongside Statham and the film will be shot in New Zealand and China.

An eyewitness says they spotted Jason Statham - a star in many action franchises including Fast & Furious, Transporter and The Expendables - at Auckland International Airport with his wife, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. However, the rumours have yet to be confirmed.

Statham is to play "a former Naval captain and expert deep-sea diver ... recruited for a likely suicide mission" against a giant prehistoric shark that's been attacking a international underwater observation program.

Statham has links to New Zealand, having previously competed here in the 1990 Commonwealth Games as a diver. Check out this clip!