Jason Statham’s potential next action film could be a game-changer, potentially compensating for the underwhelming start of a franchise he and Sylvester Stallone attempted in 2013. Statham’s upcoming movie, titled “The Beekeeper,” has the potential to erase the disappointment caused by their previous joint venture, “Homefront.” Despite Stallone’s efforts to establish a series centered around Statham, “Homefront” only achieved mediocre success. However, “The Beekeeper” marks a return to Statham’s roots in R-rated action films, and he is actively exploring the idea of sequels.
Jasoп Statham might finally have the opportunity to launch a successful action movie franchise, unlike his unsuccessful attempt with Sylvester Stallone in 2013. After gaining recognition through his Guy Ritchie gangster comedies, Statham quickly established himself as an action star in the early 2000s with films like The Transporter and Crank. This genre has become his forte, although he has dabbled in the occasional comedy such as Spy.
Over the past decade, Statham has steadily built up a collection of movie franchises, including The Meg series, The Expendables, and occasional appearances in the Fast & Furious films. What stands out about most of these franchises is the ensemble nature, where Statham is often surrounded by other big-name actors, including the monstrous Meg itself. Although he returned to a solo franchise with The Mechanic, it has been a while since he had a new series to call his own.
However, with David Ayer’s The Beekeeper, Statham may finally have the opportunity to establish a new and unique series for himself.
Even though Jason Statham recently stepped into Sylvester Stallone’s shoes to continue The Expendables series, he has already found a more promising replacement for a thrilling action movie franchise. Homefront was Stallone’s endeavor to establish a franchise around Statham, inspired by the novel series written by Chuck Logan in 2013.
The Beekeeper can compensate for Statham’s previous attempt to establish a standalone franchise, the 2013 film Homefront. This action thriller was written and co-produced by Statham’s Expendables co-star Sylvester Stallone, and it featured Statham as a retired DEA agent who moves to a small town in Louisiana with his young daughter. Statham’s character, Broker, intends to live a peaceful life, but he quickly becomes an enemy of the local drug dealer Gator, played by James Franco. When Broker’s daughter is threatened, he takes it upon himself to dismantle Gator’s gang and drug operation using a combination of guns and hand-to-hand combat.
Homefront can be streamed on platforms like fuboTV, Showtime, and FilmBox+. In short, it is a classic and straightforward Jason Statham action movie. While Stallone doesn’t have a hand in The Beekeeper, there are a few similarities between the two films. Once again, Statham portrays a character with a mysterious past who seeks a simple life, but when someone he cares about gets hurt, he starts eliminating his way up the hierarchy.
Upon its release, Homefront received decent reviews and achieved moderate success, but it has since been mostly forgotten. Interestingly, Homefront was initially developed as the fourth installment in the Rambo film series, with Stallone attempting to rewrite the story to feature Rambo as the lead character.
When Stallone originally acquired the rights to Logan’s book, he attempted to develop it as the fourth installment of the Rambo series. The basic storyline would have remained the same, but with Stallone’s Rambo replacing the character of Broker. Although this Rambo version of Homefront progressed to the scripting stage, it ultimately faced a logical obstacle: the sudden transformation of Rambo into a DEA agent and his having a child. Stallone clearly appreciated the story, but when it became apparent that it wouldn’t work with Rambo, he abandoned the idea. The eventual fourth Rambo movie had nothing in common with Homefront.
As for why Homefront failed to launch a series, it suffered from being part of a string of repetitive action vehicles starring Jason Statham.
The Beekeeper successfully captures what Statham excels at, unlike Homefront, which failed to make a significant impact in the film industry. While Homefront had a hefty budget of around $22 million, it only managed to gross around $52 million globally. Director Gary Fleder, in promoting the film, was hesitant to discuss the possibility of a sequel, indicating that the film’s reception may not have warranted another installment.
Homefront, based on the sixth novel in Logan’s series, followed the storylines of The Price of Blood and Absolute Zero. With an abundance of source material available, there was potential for a sequel to draw upon. However, Homefront suffered from being released amidst a string of similar Statham action films, with virtually indistinguishable posters and trailers. Despite being one of the better-reviewed films in Statham’s filmography from that period, there was little demand for another adventure featuring the character of Broker.
On the other hand, The Beekeeper showcases Statham’s talents and offers a refreshing return to what he does best.
After the disappointment of The Expendables 4, The Beekeeper seems to be the perfect remedy. Directed by David Ayer (known for Fury), The Beekeeper marks Statham’s return to the R-rated films that made him famous. In fact, he is already teasing the possibility of sequels, as the main character has a deep mythology that future entries could explore. This is incredibly exciting news for Statham fans, as it has been a while since he has delved into this kind of project. To be honest, Homefront wasn’t captivating enough to warrant follow-ups, but The Beekeeper appears to be Statham’s most thrilling action venture in years. Ultimately, it will be up to the audience to decide if a sequel happens, but it would be wonderful to see Jason Statham starring in a new series that isn’t limited to a PG-13 rating.