Merely mentioning their names together conjures up visions of action-packed cinema. Yes, Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone are teaming up again, but this time outside of The Expendables franchise. Amazon MGM Studios now controls the theatrical rights to the title, Levon’s Trade. Sly Stallone is writing the project’s screenplay, and Statham will star in the lead role. Additionally, according to Deadline, Prime Video has landed the streaming rights to Levon’s Trade.
Statham’s director, in the new film The Beekeeper, will also be joining the creative trinity on Levon’s Trade. David Ayer is arguably best known for writing and directing the DCEU’s Suicide Squad (2016) and for his screenplay credits on The Fast and the Furious, Training Day and the Colin Ferrell-led S.W.A.T. (2003).
Stallone’s adapted screenplay is based on the first novel, Levon’s Trade: A Vigilante Justice Thriller, in author Chuck Dixon’s Levon Cade book series. Dixon is a world-renowned comic book writer whose work appears in both DC and Marvel Comics.
Jason Statham Leads Levon’s Trade
Jason Statham will take on the lead role of Levon Cade in direc tor David Ayer’s upcoming Amazon MGM Studios/Prime Video project, Levon’s Trade. Whether it turns out to be one of Statham’s best films remains to be seen, but fans can check out a brief synopsis of the upcoming movie, courtesy of the same Deadline report, below:
“The movie will chart how Levon Cade (Statham) left his ‘profession’ behind him to go ‘straight’ and work in construction. He wants to live a simple life and be a good father to his daughter. But when his boss’ teenage daughter vanishes, he’s called upon to re-employ the skills that made him a legendary figure in the shadowy world of black ops. His hunt for the missing college student takes him deep into the heart of a sinister criminal conspiracy, creating a chain reaction that will threaten his new way of life.”
Sly Stallone and Statham’s most recent big-screen team-up, Expend4bles, was a box office disaster. However, the action movie featured Statham as the lead protagonist, and gave Statham plenty of screen time, which was one of the sequel’s high points. Meanwhile, Ayer and Statham’s collaboration on The Beekeeper has been a profitable one thus far. At the time of this writing, The Beekeeper has made $79 million worldwide since beginning its U.S. theatrical run on January 12.
At the time of this writing, Levon’s Trade does not have an expected release date attached to the project. However, filming should begin overseas in London sometime this spring. Should the Statham, Stallone and Ayer’s collaboration take off, there are currently 10 installments in author Chuck Dixon’s Levon Cade book series from which to pull even more stories from.