It’s the role he was born to play. Deadline reports that Jason Statham is set to star in a new big-budget action comedy from director David Leitch (The Fall Guy), with the action icon stepping into an unusual role: himself.
Jason Statham Plays Jason Statham
Plot details for the film, titled Jason Statham Stole My Bike, are being kept tightly under wraps, but the project will reportedly feature the actor “in the role of a lifetime, playing global action superstar Jason Statham.” The film is being mounted with a budget north of $80 million and will feature multiple large-scale action set pieces. The screenplay comes from Alison Flierl (BoJack Horseman), with production expected to begin in May.
In addition to directing, Leitch will produce alongside Kelly McCormick for 87 North. Statham will produce through Punch Palace Productions, with John Friedberg producing for Black Bear, and Meredith Berg and Ethan Erwin producing for Beryllium Entertainment.
While Statham isn’t primarily known for comedy, he has shown a sharp sense of humour when playing up his tough-guy image, most memorably in Paul Feig’s Spy. This meta-action premise sounds like a natural fit for his larger-than-life persona.
Shelter
Statham can currently be seen starring in Shelter, which arrived in theaters just a few weeks ago. The action thriller follows a former British government assassin living in isolation off the coast of Scotland who is forced back into violent confrontation with his past while protecting a young girl from the agency determined to eliminate him.
Our own EJ Tangonan enjoyed the film, for the most part. “Those who are hoping for something more outlandish like Statham’s recent film The Beekeeper may be disappointed by how simpler this movie is,” he wrote. “Shelter is more straightforward. It’s not quite character-based or plot-based. It’s more action-based, as our two leads are on the run from MI6 and we pretty much go from one action set-piece to another with a bit of drama in between. I, personally, liked it more than Statham’s A Working Man from last year as this movie kept me more engaged and the characters are people that I connected to more.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
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