New JAWS 2 4K artwork is fresh twist on thrilling shark chase

News of a JAWS 2 4K release has been confirmed by The Discfather over on Twitter, citing a source at Universal, which is great (white) news for shark film fans, especially as the film turns 45 this year.

The film, directed by Jeannot Szwarc and released in 1978, was the follow up to Steven Spielberg's 1975 box office smash JAWS and was the most successful sequel ever until the release of Rocky II in 1979.

The cast of JAWS 2 includes Roy Scheider, reprising his role as Police Chief Martin Brody, Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife Ellen, and Murray Hamilton as Mayor Larry Vaughn.

And with that exciting 4K release news, also comes a cover reveal. If you're not prepared to go through that hell of buying JAWS 2 on physical format again...then you are out of luck, as the artwork for the 4K release of JAWS 2 has surfaced.

We've all seen the JAWS 2 poster, where the great white shark is emerging from the water behind an unsuspecting water skier, it sort of plays out like that in the finished film, but we don't see the shark rising from the depths.

A JAWS 2 4K UHD mock up we found online (credit unknown)

It was a sequel, so is going for the play of evoking memories of the original JAWS poster by Roger Kastel, where the shark was swimming up to Chrissie Watkins.

This JAWS 2 4K cover takes the original water skier poster as its cue and shows us that scene from the point of view of the shark, as if we are peering out of its mouth and seeing the water skier wearing her yellow two piece from behind.

New JAWS 2 4K artwork is fresh twist on thrilling shark chase

As we all know, yellow tends to be the harbinger of doom in JAWS films , just ask Pipit and Alex Kintner. Not that the water skier is wearing yellow in the film, instead it is a black one piece, but it does at least have continuity with the original release poster.

Although, I was always sorely disappointed that this very moment happened in the film, which was long before I released film posters were all about selling the sizzle and not always accurately displaying moments from a film.

Are you a fan of the JAWS 2 4K cover design or would you prefer the original angle, or even the much-loved sunset teaser poster?

A mock up we created using the alternative JAWS 2 poster artwork of a shark’s dorsal fin cutting the waves

This JAWS 4K cover design follows the successful and well received release of JAWS on 4K, although that cover design - which had the shark biting down on the JAWS logo - did cause grumbles in some quarters. As did the misprinted brochure that came with it.

Here's hoping this release dodges those pitfalls. As yet, no word on extra or whether it is a port from the existing bluray.

And if we have JAWS 2 swimming towards us on 4K, what about JAWS 3D which turns 40 this year? And - try as some might - let's not forget JAWS the Revenge. If Superman IV: The Quest for Peace can get a 4K release, then anything should be possible.

Words by Dean Newman

If you would like to write for The Daily Jaws, please visit our ‘work with us’ page

For all the latest Jaws, shark and shark movie news, follow The Daily Jaws on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.