Jaws 2 (or Jaws II) is a 1978 American thriller film and the first sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), and the second installment in the Jaws film franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody, with Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton reprising their respective roles as Martin's wife Ellen Brody and mayor Larry Vaughn. It also stars Joseph Mascolo, Jeffrey Kramer, Collin Wilcox, Ann Dusenberry, Mark Gruner, Susan French, Barry Coe, Donna Wilkes, and Gary Springer. The plot concerns Chief Brody suspecting another great white shark is terrorizing the fictional sea side resort of Amity Island, following a series of incidents and disappearances, and his suspicions are eventually proven true.
Like the production of the original film, the production of Jaws 2 was troubled. The first director for the film, John D. Hancock, proved to be unsuitable for an action film and was replaced by Szwarc. Scheider, who only reprised his role to end a contractual issue with Universal, was also unhappy during production and had several heated exchanges with Szwarc.
Jaws 2 was briefly the highest-grossing sequel in history until Rocky II was released in 1979. The film's tagline, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." has become one of the most famous in film history and has been parodied and homaged several times. Although Jaws 2 received mixed reviews, it is generally considered to be the best of the three Jaws sequels. The film was followed by Jaws 3-D in 1983 and Jaws: The Revenge in 1987.
