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Universal wanted a sequel to Jaws (1975) early in the success of the original film. David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck realized that someone else would produce the film if they didn't, and they preferred to be in charge of the project themselves.
Steven Spielberg said that "making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick" and that he did not even respond to the producers when they asked him to direct. He claimed that the planned plot was to involve the sons of Quint and Brody hunting a new shark. David Brown said that Spielberg did not want to direct the sequel because he felt that he had done the "definitive shark movie".
Howard Sackler, who had contributed to the first film's script but chose not to be credited, was tasked with writing the first draft. He originally proposed a prequel based on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the story relayed by Quint in the first film. Although Universal president Sid Sheinberg thought Sackler's treatment for the film was intriguing, he rejected the idea.
The film, under original director John D. Hancock and writer Dorothy Tristan, had originally a different tone and premise than what would eventually be seen in the final film. The two had envisioned Amity as a sort of ghost-town when the film opened with several businesses shuttered and the island's overall economy in ruins due to the events seen in the first film. The new resort and condos built on the island by developer Len Peterson were to help celebrate its rebirth giving the island's economy a much needed boost. Tristan had borrowed a subplot from the original Jaws novel and from a discarded early draft of the first film, in which Amity officials were in debt to the Mafia. Both Mayor Vaughn and Len Peterson were anxious for the new island resort to be a success not only to revive Amity but to pay back loans from the Mob that helped build it, thus leading to Vaughn's and Peterson's ignoring of Brody's warning. Tristan and Hancock felt this treatment would lead to more character development that would make the overall story that much more believable.
At around $30 million, this was the most expensive film that Universal Pictures had made up to that time and the second-most expensive film of 1978, after Superman (1978).
Although the first film was commended for leaving the shark to the imagination until two-thirds of the way through, Jeannot Szwarc felt that they should show it as much as possible because the dramatic "first image of it coming out of the water" in the first film could never be repeated. Szwarc believed that the reduction of the first film's Hitchcockian suspense was inevitable because the audience already knew what the shark looked like.
Roy Scheider did not originally want to appear in this film, but had recently left the production of The Deer Hunter (1978), which led to conflicts with Universal Pictures, with whom he was locked into a multi-film contract. The studio agreed to forgive his leaving The Deer Hunter if he did this film, which they would count as the two remaining films of his contract with them. Scheider agreed to the terms, but was resentful of his involvement from the outset and clashed frequently with director Jeannot Szwarc. Despite his hatred of making the film, Roy Scheider later said it was "a reputable film," his only complaint was jokingly saying "he couldn't understand why the shark held a grudge against him after the first movie." Roy Scheider was paid $400,000 to reprise the role of Chief Brody, four times what he got for the original film.
Murray Hamilton's scenes were shot quickly because his wife was about to undergo a biopsy for cancer at the time and he wanted to be with her.
The character of Police Deputy Len Hendricks (played by Jeffrey Kramer), was not in the original script for Jaws 2. But after Jeannot Szwarc took over as director and the film was being rewritten, he requested that the character be reinstated as he had enjoyed his performance in the first film. However, in Jaws 2, the character was now called Jeff (which is the actor's real name).
After the crew spent hours anchoring the sailboats, the wind would change as they were ready to shoot, blowing the sails in the wrong direction. The salt water's corrosive effect damaged some equipment, including the metal parts in the sharks.
Production lasted five months, between August and December 1977. The entire production, including the time when it was shut down, took 10-11 months.
The movie's tagline "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . . . ", became one of the most famous and popular taglines in motion picture history. The blurb has frequently been spoofed and referenced in both social vernacular and in other movie promotions as well.
Carl Gottlieb said he got the idea of teenagers hanging out on sailboats from the "cruising" car culture that was popular in America in the mid-20th century.
"Cable Junction" island was actually a set that caused numerous problems during filming. The island was made from plastic / fiberglass material and was set on two barges. The surface of it was so slippery it was difficult to traverse it or even grab hold of it. This resulted in numerous retakes having to be shot, with actors slipping and falling off it constantly. Due to not being anchored properly, it once drifted away into the ocean, and the production had to go out and tug it back.
In the Universal Studios attraction, "Jaws: The Ride", the shark faces a similar death by biting electric cables. However, in the ride the electrocution is not fatal, and the shark makes a brief appearance afterwards in a burned state similar to the appearance it has in this film before "dying".
