Since debuting as a bona fide action hero in The Transporter, Jason Statham has now carved out a legacy as a Hollywood action movie superstar. But what brought his first ever franchise to an end? And why did the studio decide to launch a much lesser reboot instead? Well, according to The Stath himself, it was due to the ridiculous demand that the actor sign on to three more installments “without even seeing a script.”
“You know what? It was obviously a great experience doing those films, and I would have loved to keep doing it. But they wanted me to sign on and do three more films without even seeing a script, and they offered me less money to do three than I’d get paid for one! So it was a business decision. I would have loved to have done it, but you can’t really sign on without doing a script, and to sign on for three of them? And to get paid a pittance? I just couldn’t see the value in that.”
Addressing why the studio decided to reboot the franchise without him in an interview with Vulture back in April 2015, Statham revealed that it was ultimately a “business decision” with the actor also being offered “a pittance” as well as the expectation that he would lead more movies without first seeing a finished script.
The Transporter allowed The Stath to demonstrate his affinity for action for the first time, and introduces the character Frank Martin, an ex-soldier turned mercenary driver living who finds himself involved in a people smuggling plot. The Transporter franchise spawned two sequels, 2005’s Transporter 2 and 2008’s Transporter 3, before Statham decided to walk away. Thus, the franchise was rebooted with The Transporter Refueled in 2015 and starring Deadpool’s Ed Skrein in the lead. Prior to this, a TV series led by Bosch star Chris Vance also ran between 2012–2014, but sadly neither of these projects reached the explosive heights of Statham.
The Transporter Director Would Love to Make a Fourth Movie With Jason Statham
While Jason Statham may have been out of returning to The Transporter franchise back in 2015, director Louis Leterrier recently declared that he would love to reunite with the action star for a fourth outing. Discussing the prospect last year, Leterrier, who is now at the helm of the Fast and Furious franchise, said it would be a “pleasure” to bring Frank Martin back for more.
“I mean, that would be a dream…It was a true pleasure. So, I mean, why not like that? You know, Frank Martin is a great character. The Transporter is a great character. And Jason [Statham] is an amazing actor. We need more Transporter, right?”
While we may never again see Statham behind the wheel as Frank Martin, the action superstar has now launched several equally skilled and charismatic characters. The Stath has seen huge success with this year’s The Beekeeper, which finds him leading the way as the mysterious Adam Clay who, after losing a dear friend to a scam, leaves his quiet beekeeping ways behind and enacts a brutal campaign for vengeance.
Statham will continue his action hero legacy in Levon’s Trade. Written by Sylvester Stallone and directed by The Beekeeper’s David Ayer, the movie finds Statham starring as a former black-ops agent who is called back into action after his boss’s teenage daughter vanishes.
