Is it possible that the Megalodon may not be extinct after all?

Carcharodon megalodon was the apex predator of all time, the most fearsome creature that ever lived - a 70-foot, 60,000 pound prehistoric Great White shark. Hundreds of seven-inch serrated teeth filled jaws that could swallow an elephant whole. It could sense its prey miles away, inhaling its scent as it registered the beat of its fluttering heart, and if you ever came close enough to see the monster...it was already too late.Sound scary? Megalodon may still be out there, it only disappeared recently, perhaps as little as 10,000 years ago.

Are members of the species lurking in the deeper, unexplored ocean realms? According to author Steve Alten and his best-selling MEG series – yes! And New Line Cinema is banking on the popularity of this fearsome creature translating into success on the big screen. New Line recently optioned MEG, and is fast-tracking the project for a July 4th 2006 release, to be directed by Jan De Bont (Twister).

Meanwhile, Alten recently reedited and expanded the original novel, to be re-released by his new publisher, Tsunami Books, in July. “I always wanted to do a rewrite, adding more depth to the characters and expanding the attack scenes. The book’s being used in thousands of high school classrooms across the country as part of the Adopt-An-Author program, I wanted to make it more “teacher-friendly.”

The new edition of MEG will also have a startling new cover – a T-Rex being devoured by a Megalodon. Alten’s latest novel, The LOCH, a thriller about the hunt for the Loch Ness Monster, is getting rave reviews and was recently optioned as both a documentary and to Hollywood Producer David Foster, to be developed into a major motion picture.

“The documentary guys loved the science in the book,” says Alten. “With The LOCH it was especially important to separate the myth from the science. I never believed in the monster until I did the research…I do now.”And what about MEG?“It could still be out there. We know more about distant galaxies than the depths of our own oceans. Hopefully next July, we’ll be able to see what these monsters could do!”