According to Screen Rant, action star Jason Statham once turned down an offer to join the Marvel universe. The president of Marvel is reportedly still eager to bring Statham on board.
Statham is known for his tough-guy roles in action films such as The Transporter, The Expendables, and most recently, the Fast & Furious franchise. At 49 years old, he still maintains a strong and rugged appearance, and is even known for performing his own stunts due to his background as a professional athlete. It’s no surprise that a talent like Statham caught the attention of Marvel and Disney.
However, rumors surfaced in 2015 that Statham was offered the role of villain Bullseye in Marvel’s TV series Daredevil, but ultimately had to decline due to conflicting schedules. More recently, during the promotion of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel president Kevin Feige confirmed that they had approached Statham for a film role, but it didn’t work out. Feige stated, “He called me and said, ‘I’m sorry I can’t do it, maybe next time.'”
In a 2015 interview with 400 Calci, Statham expressed a lack of interest in playing a superhero and criticized the reliance on stunt doubles in action films. He even joked, “Even my grandmother could do it.”
Both stars had a disagreement in the past about different opinions. However, Paul Bettany, who plays Vision in Avengers 2, responded to Jason Statham by suggesting that he should also find a stunt double for acting segments, as he believed that the Fast & Furious star only knew how to fight and not act. Nevertheless, Marvel has not given up on recruiting Jason Statham for their new project. With the departure of first-generation superhero stars like Chris Evans, the film studio is rapidly bringing in new promising faces such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, and Chris Pratt. In addition, Marvel has already invited action movie legend Sylvester Stallone to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. However, whether Jason Statham or Sylvester Stallone will appear in future Marvel projects remains uncertain, especially now that Jason Statham’s fiance, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, has just given birth to their first child.
