Jason Statham goes to war with phishing scammers in the trailer for David Ayer’s new action movie The Beekeeper. The action superstar who began his ascent in the films of Guy Ritchie has had a big 2023. After starring in Ritchie’s latest Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Statham strapped in for another wild ride with the family in Fast X. This summer, he battled prehistoric megalodons in The Meg 2, and currently he can be seen back alongside Sylvester Stallone for another round of mayhem in The Expendables 4.

Having put in his work in those relatively familiar vehicles, Statham will next do something a little different, playing an equalizing hero in The Beekeeper, which just dropped its first trailer. Check out the clip below, along with a new poster (via MGM):

The new film comes from Suicide Squad director Ayer, and co-stars Jeremy Irons, Minnie Driver, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson and Phylicia Rashad.

The Beekeeper Could Launch Statham’s Own Taken/Equalizer Franchise

As revealed in the trailer, Statham’s Beekeeper character is a man with a somewhat mysterious past, who is called to action for very personal reasons, and must use his skills to take down multiple bad guys. This basic formula has of course already proven very successful for both Liam Neeson in the Taken franchise, and Denzel Washington in The Equalizer movies. Indeed, the set-up for The Beekeeper, in which a character has their life ruined by internet scammers, sending the hero on his violent campaign of vindication, is similar to what is revealed as Robert McCall’s initial motivation in the recently-released Equalizer 3.

Having already added his considerable action movie talents to franchises as diverse as Fast & The Furious, The Transporter and The Expendables, the time may be ripe for Statham to transition into his own Neeson/Washington phase, playing righteous avengers with shady pasts in bloody and over-the-top action vehicles aimed at somewhat older audiences. Expendables indeed seems to have run out of steam with the under-performing fourth film, jeopardizing that franchise’s future. Rather than take over leading Barney Ross’s team in future movies, Statham may look to establish his own franchise as a loner with a particular set of skills, setting out to right the wrongs done to people he cares about, in an ongoing string of films. The Beekeeper releases on January 12, 2024.

Source: MGM