Fresh off of directing the Bob Odenkirk action sequel Nobody 2 (which is now in theatres) for Universal, Timo Tjahjanto is gearing up to go into production on the Jason Statham action sequel The Beekeeper 2 for Miramax and Amazon MGM – and during an interview with Screen Rant, Tjahjanto revealed that he was drawn to the Beekeeper sequel because it gives him the chance to make his own version of the Marvel character The Punisher!
Directed by David Ayer from a screenplay written by Kurt Wimmer, The Beekeeper was a surprisingly good action flick that showed us what happens when one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.” As Deadline reminds us, it was about Adam Clay, a retired clandestine human intelligence operative who sets out for revenge after his kind-hearted landlady becomes the victim of a phishing scam that steals millions of dollars from a charity she runs. Wimmer has written the screenplay for the sequel, but plot details have not yet been revealed.
Tjahjanto told Screen Rant, “I’m definitely drawn to the Beekeeper series just because when I watched it, I always felt that, ‘Wow, this is essentially Statham playing one of my favorite characters in the Marvel universe,’ which is The Punisher. If I can’t make The Punisher film, if the gods of film aren’t allowing me to do a Punisher film yet, then I’ll turn Adam Clay into my own version of The Punisher. Which is great! I think Statham has that quality in him. He has that very stoic Frank Castle-esque quality to him. And I love that Adam Clay is definitely a guy who is quite colorful in his choice of violence. He gets really, really creative with his violence.” The director added that he’s having fun planning the fight scenes and teased there’s an “escalation of just how big the villains are in this film.“
Ayer reteamed with Statham for the film A Working Man. While he won’t be at the helm of The Beekeeper 2 because he’s working on the Brad Pitt movie The Heart of the Beast, he is involved with the sequel in a producing capacity. Statham won’t just be reprising the role of Adam Clay for the new movie, as he’s also producing The Beekeeper 2 through his Punch Palace Productions shingle, while Chris Long is producing through Long Shot Productions. Made on a budget of $40 million, the first film earned more than $152 million at the global box office.
What do you think of Timo Tjahjanto seeing Jason Statham’s character Adam Clay as a version of The Punisher in The Beekeeper 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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