Jason Statham continues to dominate Hollywood with new action films similar to his successful past projects.
The upcoming untitled action thriller brings back memories of Statham’s 2013 movie Homefront, but with a twist.
By teaming up with director Baltasar Kormakur, Statham’s new action movie aims to avoid the pitfalls of its predecessor.
Jason Statham has another new action movie in development, and it sounds almost exactly like the same film he made 11 years prior. Over the last decade or so, Statham has cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s go-to action movie stars thanks to franchises like Fast & Furious, Transporter, The Meg, Expendables, and more. He’s also starred in a variety of standalone films and potential franchise starters that showcase his hand-to-hand combat skills. While not all are as successful as The Beekeeper, Statham remains incredibly busy with new action roles as a result.
The aftermath of The Beekeeper’s box office dominance has brought about the development of multiple new Jason Statham action movies. There are possible plans for a sequel to The Beekeeper, but he and David Ayer are first hoping to kickstart another potential series with Levon’s Trade. If that film was not enough, reports have also surfaced about another film requiring Jason Statham’s leading man talents: an untilted action-thriller directed by Everest’s Baltasar Kormákur. While it’s billed as an original film, plot details make it sound like a previous Statham movie that only received a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Beekeeper has become a major box office success, and the $140 million hit has helped Jason Statham replace his two biggest action franchises.
Jason Statham’s New Action Movie Has A Similar Plot As 2013’s Homefront
The Overall Stories Sound The Same
Based on the early reporting for Kormákur and Statham’s as-of-yet-untitled action movie, those familiar with the actor’s previous works will notice quite a few similarities to his 2013 film Homefront. The previous action film is based on a novel by Chuck Logan and followed former DEA agent Phil Broker as he and his daughter move to a quiet, small town for a fresh start. The movie revolves around Phil as he attempts to protect his daughter and their home from a dangerous threat, in this case, a powerful drug lord. Many of these details are once again present in Statham’s upcoming action movie.
Homefront was written by Sylvester Stallone
The new Jason Statham action movie centers itself around Mason, Statham’s character with a mysterious past who lives alone on a Scottish island. The action begins when he rescues a girl and must defend her and his home from attackers. While the new film is not a direct copy of Homefront, the basic setup of Statham playing a mysterious man with a deadly past as he protects a young girl and fights back against dangerous villains is the same. Other details are different, but the Homefront comparisons are difficult to ignore given Statham’s involvement in both.
DirectorGary Fleder
Release DateNovember 12, 2013
CastWinona Ryder, Jason Statham, Frank Grillo, Rachelle Lefevre, Kate Bosworth, James Franco
RatingR
Runtime100minutes
How Jason Statham’s New Action Movie Can Improve On Homefront
It Can Learn From Homefront’s Mistakes
Conscious or not, Jason Statham attaching himself to a new action movie with Homefront similarities gives him a chance to subtly remake the film and do it better this time. The 2013 action film received mixed reviews from critics, resulting in its 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences were only slightly more positive at 61%. Homefront was criticized for its lacking story and characters, as well as not offering much new to audiences in what is a rather conventional action movie premise. The film only managed to make $51.7 million at the box office after the tepid response.
The good news for Jason Statham is that this new action movie could have an advantage courtesy of director Baltasar Kormákur. He is no stranger to the action-thriller genre thanks to movies like Contraband, 2 Guns, Everest, Adrift, and Beast. Kormákur should be able to bring a steady hand to the film and deliver something that resonates strongly with critics and audiences alike. If he can, then Jason Statham’s new action movie will be the hit Homefront was expected to be over a decade before.
Jason Statham has established himself as an action movie hero, but the British star hasn’t always played the good guy in his various projects.
Jason Statham’s New Action Movie Is Continuing His Post-Expendables Rehabilitation
He’s already found success after the flop
Excitingly, Homefront isn’t the only misguided Jason Statham project that the star’s new action movie can redeem. Although he’s enjoyed success with The Beekeeper in 2024, it’s worth noting that Statham’s previous release was the critically panned and commercially disastrous Expend4bles. Made for an estimated $100 million, the movie barely made half its budget back at the global box office – in no small part thanks to its unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 14%. Despite his long-established credentials in the genre, such a performance was incredibly disappointing for Statham.
It’s important in the context of Jason Statham’s wider movie career that his next film continues this positive trajectory.
With an impressive critical and commercial score, The Beekeeper has repaired some of the reputational damage inflicted by Expend4bles. However, it’s important in the context of Jason Statham’s wider movie career that his next film continues this positive trajectory. If the movie is another disappointment, it could offset the positive impact of The Beekeeper. Conversely, if it proves to be a hit, it will show that Expend4bles was an aberration rather than the norm – meaning that a lot is riding on its success.
Jason Statham’s New Action Movie Isn’t His Only Exciting Project
He has other opportunities for success
Because of its thematic ties to earlier Jason Statham action movies like Homefront, the 57-year-old’s collaboration with Baltasar Kormákur is an exciting prospect. However, it is not the only iron that Statham has in the fire. Alongside his work with Kormákur, Statham is also set to feature in the 2025 action thriller Levon’s Trade – a vigilante justice thriller that will reunite Statham with The Beekeeper director David Ayer. Based on a popular novel by Chuck Dixon, the movie will see Statham star as a former Black Ops agent – a seemingly perfect role, given his previous credentials.
Interestingly, Levon’s Trade not only has the potential to relieve the pressure on Statham’s Kormákur collaboration, but can also fix some of the problems with Homefront. Like the 2013 action thriller, Levon’s Trade will be written by Sylvester Stallone, giving both Statham and Stallone the chance to make up for the earlier missed opportunity. While it won’t be the first time Stallone and Jason Statham have been reunited, given their collaboration on the Expendables movies, it’s proof that there are many reasons for fans to be positive about the actor’s future.