Did anyone expect “The Beekeeper” to do as well at the box office as it’s doing? The mid-budget action film has earned more than $152 million worldwide. You have to assume a lot of that success rests on the shoulders of star Jason Statham, who has been solid at the box office for years now. And fresh off the success of “The Beekeeper,” Statham continues to add to his schedule of future films.

Continue reading Jason Statham To Star in Baltasar Kormákur’s New Action Film at The Playlist.

For fans of action films, names like David Ayer, Jason Statham, and Sylvester Stallone are enough to get you excited. And when you combine all three, as is the case in the upcoming film, “Levon’s Trade,” people are going to expect the possibility of something special. So, action film fans, it’s time to let your anticipation build.

READ MORE: ‘The Beekeeper’ Red Band Trailer: Jason Statham Is Out For Revenge In David Ayer’s New Action Film

According to Deadline, one of the biggest projects to be shopped around at this year’s American Film Market (AFM) is “Levon’s Trade,” an upcoming action film directed by David Ayer.

Continue reading ‘Levon’s Trade’: Jason Statham To Star In David Ayer’s Newest Action Written By Sylvester Stallone at The Playlist.

Though, in recent years, David Ayer is largely known as the guy who directed “Suicide Squad” and experienced all the behind-the-scenes drama that accompanied that production, we shouldn’t forget that the filmmaker had a whole career making action films. Now, he returns to his wheelhouse with the new film, “The Beekeeper.”

READ MORE: David Ayer Says ‘Suicide Squad’ Dailies Were So Well Received That There Was Talk Of “Oh, Maybe Ayer’s Gonna Take Over DC.”

As seen in the trailer for “The Beekeeper,” the film fits beautifully in the fairly recent “man with a particular set of skills” action subgenre.

Continue reading ‘The Beekeeper’ Red Band Trailer: Jason Statham Is Out For Revenge In David Ayer’s New Action Film at The Playlist.

Ben Wheatley undoubtedly blew some cinephile minds a few years ago when he was announced as the director of “Meg 2: The Trench,” a follow-up to 2018’s fun-enough August blockbuster “The Meg.” Turns out Wheatley’s attempt at being a popcorn salesman ain’t so good, but the pitch must have been spectacular: sea explorers navigating unchartered darkness and facing its monsters like “Alien”; massive, unforeseen creatures like “King Kong“; a bombastic human buffet like “Jurassic Park”; a big freakin’ shark à la “The Meg,” but now with even more sharks, with a pre-packaged Jason Statham kicking their tails one at a time.

Continue reading ‘Meg 2: The Trench’ Review: Ben Wheatley’s Sequel Is A Big, Amateurish Mess at The Playlist.

You will either watch “Fast X” or you won’t. It’s not a film series that people are on the fence over, and they’ve probably made up their minds long before now. The multibillion-dollar franchise that kicked off over 20 years ago has left what it originally was far behind, eating its dust. However, this penultimate entry in the series has an ace up its sleeve that few will have seen coming.

Continue reading ‘Fast X’ Review: Jason Momoa Flamboyantly Steals The Show In This Ridiculous Yet Entertaining Wild Ride at The Playlist.

Ben Wheatley is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. His projects always are unique and worth a watch. Sure, there are slight missteps, such as with “Rebecca,” but that doesn’t take away from films such as “Sightseers,” “High-Rise,” and “Kill List.” All that to say, it’s really quite surprising that his next film is “The Meg 2: The Trench.” This seems like a big departure for someone who could be seen as an auteur, right?

Continue reading ‘The Meg 2: The Trench’ Trailer: Ben Wheatley Directs Jason Statham In The Underwater Monster Sequel at The Playlist.

Audiences know Guy Ritchie can direct action, they know he can write quotable, pithy dialogue, and they know he can create memorable characters. However, for the most part, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” either fails to deliver or under-delivers on almost all fronts.

For a film directed, produced, and co-written by Ritchie, it feels more like the result of someone trying to emulate his work and falling short. However, there are moments when the premise’s promise shines through, making that inconsistency additionally frustrating.

Continue reading ‘Operation Fortune’ Review: A Promising Idea And A Great Ensemble Cast Can’t Stop This Romp From Floundering at The Playlist.

Originally anticipated to be released a year ago, Guy Ritchie’s “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” has been stuck on the shelf for a while now thanks to the dissolution of its studio, STX Entertainment. That left the film completed but without a distributor. But now, a year later, Lionsgate and Miramax have come along to make sure Ritchie’s latest actioner hits theaters this year.

Continue reading ‘Operation Fortune’ Trailer: Guy Ritchie’s Long-Delayed Spy Film Starring Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza & More Arrives In March at The Playlist.

What’s the most popular cinematic franchise in the world right now? The answer seems murkier than it did two years ago. The formerly preeminent “Star Wars” universe has shifted to episodic TV with Disney+ series like “Andor” and “The Mandalorian.” Meanwhile, Marvel Entertainment’s movie empire slumped a bit in 2022 despite decent turnouts for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” 

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

That means the road is clear for Dom Torretto and a cohort of speed demons to burn rubber all the way to the bank with “Fast X,” the tenth installment and eleventh overall film in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. 

Reportedly the first of a two-part conclusion to the street racing saga, “Fast X” features the return of star and series engine Vin Diesel alongside supporting players Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, and John Cena.

Continue reading ‘Fast X’ Trailer: Vin Diesel’s Crew Takes On Jason Momoa & Brie Larson In The Latest Street Racing Saga Film at The Playlist.

British action star Jason Statham (“Wrath of Man“) keeps churning out various genre projects and had previously attached himself to “The Beekeeper,” an action pic that is said to have incorporated the mythology of beekeeping, which sounds more puzzling the longer you ruminate on the concept.

As the film is heading to Cannes Film Market this month, Deadline reports that “Suicide Squad” and “Fury” director David Ayer is now attached to helm the project that is based on a spec script penned by screenwriter Kurt Wimmer and hopes to be a franchise starter for Miramax.

Continue reading David Ayer To Direct Jason Statham In Miramax’s Action Pic ‘The Beekeeper’ at The Playlist.

Guy Ritchie is on a tear right now. After the director’s puzzling choice to helm Disney‘s live-action remake of “Aladdin,” he’s released two films in rapid succession: “The Gentlemen,” his most critically acclaimed film since 2002’s “Snatch,” and then this year’s reunion with Jason Statham, “Wrath Of Man.” He also has plenty more projects on the way.

Continue reading ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ Trailer: Guy Ritchie’s Latest Spy Film Pits Jason Statham & Josh Harnett Against Hugh Grant at The Playlist.

Believe it or not, it’s been seven years since we last saw an ‘Expendables’ film. The popular action franchise initially started as a bit of a gimmick, combining some of the biggest action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s in one film that shows them all kicking ass. The 2010 original film became a hit and spawned two more films that would arrive in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Now, after a long break, it appears the ‘Expendables’ franchise is getting dusted off thanks to Lionsgate and Millenium Media.

Continue reading Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa & More Team For New ‘Expendables’ Film at The Playlist.

Guy Ritchie films have been accused of many things over the years, but “boring” has rarely been among the slights. Removed from his native soil in this latest outing and robbed of anything resembling a unique or interesting character (usually the hallmarks of his work), Ritchie is fully and truly adrift with “Wrath of Man”: a sophomoric revenge fantasy that reads at the middle school level. With its lead on autopilot, and a script whose big twist is that there is no twist, that this is as hollow, stupidly violent, and derivative as it appears at first glance, the movie’s only real surprise comes from its stunning ability to somehow keep getting worse with each passing scene.

Continue reading ‘Wrath of Man’: A Sophomoric Revenge Film Finds Guy Ritchie & Jason Statham At A Creative Nadir [Review] at The Playlist.

Guy Ritchie spent the better part of the 2010s working on a number of high-profile, franchise films such as “Sherlock Holmes,” “The Man from UNCLE,” “King Arthur,” and “Aladdin.” But since 2019, he’s been firmly back in his prior wheelhouse of making gritty crime thrillers, such as 2020’s “The Gentlemen” and the upcoming film, “Wrath of Man.”

READ MORE: Guy Ritchie To Write & Direct WWII Thriller, ‘Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ For Paramount

And as seen in the new Red Band trailer for “Wrath of Man,” the crime thriller reteams Ritchie with his early-career muse, Jason Statham, in a new feature about a security guard that shocks his coworkers during a heist that results in a bloody, action-filled betrayal.

Continue reading ‘Wrath Of Man’ Red Band Trailer & Clip: Jason Statham Reteams With Guy Ritchie For A New Crime Thriller at The Playlist.

Last year, Ben Wheatley snuck out of lockdown and decided to make a horror film, “In the Earth.” Now, months later, he’s ready to share his new indie feature with the world. On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles Barfield, Mike DeAngelo, and Brian Farvour spend some time talking films with Ben Wheatley, the writer-director of the new pandemic horror film, “In the Earth.”

LISTEN: Ezra Miller, Dwayne Johnson Or Robert Pattison—Who Is The Key To DC’s Future In The Post-Snyderverse?

Continue reading Ben Wheatley Talks ‘In The Earth,’ Why He Is Directing ‘The Meg 2’ & The Video Game Films Would Love To Make [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Today is the day that we finally got to see another “F9” trailer. And that means fans will spend all day watching and rewatching the new clip, talking about the latest bonkers action scene that is teased (they’re really going to space, huh?). It also means filmmaker Justin Lin is out there teasing what’s to come in the ‘Fast & Furious’ film saga.

READ MORE: ‘Fast & Furious’ To End With 2 More Films Directed By Justin Lin

Speaking to Deadline, Lin talked about a variety of things regarding ‘F9,’ aka “Fast & Furious 9: Family Trip To Space.” (Okay, not an official title, but really, it should be.) And one of the main topics of conversation is how the pandemic affected the release of the new ‘Fast’ film.

Continue reading Justin Lin Says Dwayne Johnson & Jason Statham Could Return To ‘Fast’ Films: “They’re Part Of This Family” at The Playlist.

Thanks to the sterling reviews for “The Gentlemen,” Guy Ritchie is having a bit of a renaissance moment. While it didn’t do exceptionally well at the box office, the 2020 film was Ritchie’s best-reviewed movie since “Snatch,” the crime comedy that broke him into the mainstream twenty years ago. Between then and now, Ritchie’s filmography has been, shall we say, uneven, but after a decade-plus of blockbusters of varying quality, the director looks to be on the resurgence.  

Continue reading ‘Wrath Of Man’ Trailer: Jason Statham And Guy Ritchie Reteam For A New Heist Thriller Coming In May at The Playlist.

We finally have an update concerning that “Tomb Raider” sequel. There was some concern when director Ben Wheatly attached himself to direct “The Meg” sequel for Warner Bros., he might have to exit the “Tomb Raider 2” sequel he was developing with actress Alicia Vikander set to reprise the Lara Croft role.

Continue reading ‘Tomb Raider 2’: ‘Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green Takes Over Directing Duties From Ben Wheatley at The Playlist.

If you’ve been waiting for a sequel to David Cronenberg’s crime thriller, “Eastern Promises,” since its release in 2007, we have some good news…and some bad news. The good news is that a follow-up film set in the same universe of “Eastern Promises” is coming, titled “Small Dark Look.” Unfortunately, the film isn’t going to see the return of Cronenberg or star Viggo Mortensen, and it won’t continue the story featured in the first film.

Continue reading ‘Eastern Promises’ Sequel Comes Back Without David Cronenberg & Viggo Mortensen; Instead Adds Jason Statham at The Playlist.

English filmmaker Ben Wheatley has had a terrifically eclectic and genre-hopping career. In fact, just this week, as his most lush and lavish picture, “Rebecca” premieres on Netflix, we covered the versatile director’s career in an Essentials Retrospective. Well, the timing is good because Wheatley’s got another project in the works, albeit one that has much of his indie/cinephile following scratching their heads: directing “The Meg 2,” a big-budget sequel to the shark thriller “The Meg” for Warner Bros.

Continue reading Ben Wheatley To Direct ‘The Meg 2’ Shark Sequel With Jason Statham at The Playlist.

Jason Statham might be one of the biggest action stars in the world right now, most recently squaring off with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the mega-blockbuster “Hobbs & Shaw.” However, years before, he was an unknown that was chosen to star in the film, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” by filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who then turned the non-actor into a star.

Continue reading Guy Ritchie Teaming With Jason Statham For The Spy Thriller, ‘Five Eyes’ at The Playlist.

After being left high and dry by Jason Statham just six weeks before filming was to begin, it appears that Columbia Pictures has found the actor’s replacement in the action-comedy film, “The Man from Toronto”—Woody Harrelson.

According to THR, Harrelson has been signed on to co-star opposite Kevin Hart in the upcoming film, “The Man from Toronto,” which is scheduled to begin production in only six weeks.

Continue reading Woody Harrelson Replaces Jason Statham Opposite Kevin Hart In ‘The Man From Toronto’ at The Playlist.

Back in January, I goofed a bit on the upcoming film “The Man from Toronto.” From the plot description and the actors hired, Kevin Hart and Jason Statham, ‘Toronto’ felt like it would be your average PG-13 buddy action film with a big, cool muscle guy and his smaller, funny sidekick. Well, apparently, Jason Statham reportedly felt the same way, as he has bailed on the film, just weeks before production.

Continue reading Jason Statham Bails On Kevin Hart Action-Comedy A Month Before Production After Rating Disagreement at The Playlist.

Ready for the most shocking news of the day? Jason Statham is starring as a hard-nosed, tough guy in an upcoming film. Want another surprise? Kevin Hart is going to star opposite a tough guy as the comedic sidekick in an action-comedy. According to Deadline, these men are set to join forces for the upcoming film “The Man from Toronto,” and yes, it does actually feel like studios are just reshuffling actors and premises, hoping that audiences won’t care.

Continue reading Kevin Hart & Jason Statham To Team Up For Action-Comedy ‘The Man From Toronto’ at The Playlist.

Last week, we ran a report that said Guy Ritchie’s next film, after “The Gentlemen” arrives in early 2020, will see the filmmaker return, once again, to the crime thriller genre. And now, it appears that is indeed the plan, as Deadline is reporting that Ritchie’s next film, produced by Miramax, will see the director not only give audiences another crime film, but bring back one of his favorite collaborators from earlier in his career.

Continue reading Guy Ritchie & Jason Statham Reteaming For New Thriller Based On French Film ‘Le Convoyeur’ at The Playlist.