Warner Bros. and Chinese company Gravity are trying to keep Meg afloat after the departure of director Eli Roth and concerns over budget.

Jon Turteltaub, best known as helmer of the National Treasure movies, is in early talks to direct the creature feature which centers on a Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70-foot, 40-ton prehistoric kin to the great white shark.

Roth came on board to direct last year and was to have made his studio debut, but Warners, in light of last year’s disappointing box office, has been looking closely at its slate. Rumors swirled that Meg was going to be put into turnaround and that Roth was exiting the project due to concerns over budget, which was upwards of $100 million. But now producers and execs are looking for a way to scale back on the pic, including doing a rewrite.

The project has been in the works for about 20 years and began life as a book by Steve Alten.

Moviewise, Turteltaub last directed Last Vegas. He most recently directed the pilot for the TV version of Rush Hour.