Jason Statham Has Taken on Everything. Now, He’ll Play His Hardest Role Yet: Jason Statham.
Jason Statham’s grasp on the action genre has become unparalleled. The actor has starred in such a wide swath of action-packed blockbusters, I often think about the viral tweet joking that his movies should just have numbers, instead of full titles. But the latest project Statham has signed on for is too good of a title to pass up.
On Friday, it was confirmed that Statham has been cast in the appropriately-titled action comedy Jason Statham Stole My Bike. The film will be directed by Deadpool 2 and The Fall Guy helmer David Leitch, who has already directed Statham in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Filming on the project, which has a reported budget of $80 million, is expected to begin in May of this year.
While specific details about the plot are being kept under wraps, reports indicate that it will see Statham “in the role of a lifetime, playing global action superstar Jason Statham.” The script is being written by BoJack Horseman and School of Rock alum Alison Flierl. Producers on the project include Leitch and his wife Kelly McCormick for 87North Productions, Statham for Punch Palace Productions, John Friedberg for Black Bear, and Meredith Berg and Ethan Erwin for Beryllium Entertainment.
The title Jason Statham Stole My Bike, understandably, provokes a lot of delightful questions. Who is the protagonist speaking the title? Is it a random adult who gets pulled into Statham’s orbit, or a child? (Personally, I think the latter would be hilarious.) And why is Statham stealing the bike to begin with? Is it to film a movie, or outrun some crazy plot? Will Statham be the villain of the piece?! I can’t wait to see how the movie answers all of those questions.
Now, Give Us Spy 2!
Jason Statham Stole My Bike is far from the first time that Statham has flexed his comedic chops. His distinct straight man persona has been used to great effect in everything from the aforementioned Hobbs & Shaw, to the delightfully gonzo Crank movies of the 2000s. But for a lot of people, Statham’s comedic timing is best associated with Spy, Paul Feig’s 2015 send up to the secret agent world. The film saw Statham play Rick Ford, a no-nonsense field agent who gets pulled into the orbit of (and ultimately falls in love with) Melissa McCarthy’s Susan.
As Feig explained to SlashFilm in an interview from this past December, he isn’t immediately in a rush to revisit the world of Spy, although he does have an idea for a sequel in mind.
“I used to say I don’t want to do sequels, and then I did Another Simple Favor, but that felt like five years, and we had an idea for a story that felt good,” Feig revealed. “I definitely have an idea for a story for Spy 2, but I don’t know. I just don’t know if that’s the place to go right now. I’m having so much fun doing new things. And I’m so happy with Spy. But sometimes to go revisit something, you kind of go, ‘Oh, we should have just left good enough alone.”
(featured image: Simon Ackerman/Getty Images)
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