Statham set for Race

Last month rumors started to swirl that Jason Statham (CRANK) would star in the upcoming remake of DEATH RACE 2000. A few weeks later we have the confirmation – Statham will indeed star in DEATH RACE (no year in this title) for director Paul WS Anderson and producer Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise? Yup, the man had the project with him during his tenure at Paramount but Sumner Redstone put the kibosh on that whole arrangement and Cruise packed up his stuff and beat foot. Universal was mighty interested and quickly snatched up the rights to the project. The original Roger Corman film starred David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone in a film about a futuristic society (which was actually seven years ago) where the president initiates a Transcontinental Road Race where points are gained by the number of people killed. Statham will star as Frankenstein, not the Mary Shelley monster but a racer reguilt and programmed by the government to win the race at any costs. But will he question his role as the race continues? Anderson and Universal are getting ready to begin filming later this summer. Statham can be seen later this year in the Jet Li combo WAR.