Jason Statham’s next action movie can become the kind of franchise he and Sylvester Stallone failed to launch back in 2013. Following his breakthrough with the early Guy Ritchie gangster comedies, Statham made a swift leap to becoming an action star in the early ’00s with The Transporter movies and Crank. The genre has been Statham’s bread and butter ever since, though he’s dipped into the occasional comedy like Spy along the way. There are plenty of Jason Statham movie franchises to go around, with the star having steadily amassed them over the last decade and change.
There are The Meg movies, alongside The Expendables or the occasional Fast & Furious. What’s notable about most of these franchises is the fact they’re ensemble-based, and while he may have had more to do in 2023’s Expendables 4, Statham is often surrounded by other headliners – including the Meg itself. It’s been some time since he returned to solo franchises like The Mechanic too, but with David Ayer’s The Beekeeper, Statham may finally have a new series to call his own.
Homefront Was Stallone’s Attempt To Build A Franchise Around Statham
This 2013 thriller was based on Chuck Logan’s novel series
The Beekeeper can make up for Statham’s last attempt to mount a solo franchise, 2013’s Homefront. This action thriller was written and co-produced by Statham’s Expendables co-star Sylvester Stallone and cast the actor as a retired DEA agent who moves to a Louisiana town with his young daughter. Statham’s Broker is intent on living a quiet life, but he soon makes an enemy of local drug dealer Gator (James Franco). After his daughter is threatened, Broker sets about taking down Gator’s gang and drug operation with a combination of guns and fists.
In short, it was classic, meat and potatoes Jason Statham action movie fare. While Stallone doesn’t have a hand in The Beekeeper, the movies share a few similarities. Once again, he’s playing a character with a shadowy past who is looking to live a simple life, but when someone he cares about is hurt, he starts killing his way up the food chain. Homefront scored decent reviews upon release and was a modest hit, but has been largely forgotten.
Homefront Was Almost The Fourth Rambo Movie
Stallone tried to rewrite the story with Rambo in the lead
When Stallone originally gained the rights to Logan’s book, he tried to develop it as Rambo 4. The broad strokes of the plot would have been the same, just with Stallone’s Rambo in place of Broker. While this Rambo version of Homefront went as far as the scripting stage, it couldn’t fundamentally get past the logic issue of Rambo suddenly becoming a DEA agent and having had a child. Stallone clearly liked the story, but when it was clear it wouldn’t work with Rambo, he abandoned the idea. The eventual fourth Rambo movie had nothing in common with Homefront either.
Why Homefront Failed To Kick Off A Series
It came off a repetitive run of Statham action vehicles
Homefront grossed just shy of $52 million worldwide, off an estimated $22 million budget. While director Gary Fleder was cautious about sequel talk while promoting the film, there’s little doubt Broker could have been a recurring Statham character had Homefront been a hit. Homefront was the sixth novel in Logan’s series, following the likes of The Price of Blood and Absolute Zero, so there was a wealth of source material for a potential sequel to draw from.
Unfortunately, Homefront came off a run of samey Statham action films, where all the posters and trailers looked nearly identical. Most of these projects like Parker or Safe received mediocre reviews but performed reasonably well financially. There was little to make Homefront stand out, and while it’s one of the better reviewed of the actor’s filmography from this era, no one was really clamoring for another Broker adventure.
The Beekeeper Can Become The Series Homefront Failed To Be
The Beekeeper is a return to what Statham does best
After the disappointment that was The Expendables 4, The Beekeeper appears to be what the doctor ordered. It’s being helmed by David Ayer (Fury) and The Beekeeper is Statham’s return to the R-rated vehicles he built his name on. The actor is already talking up sequels too, as the main character apparently has a deeper mythology that future entries could dive into.
This is great news for Statham devotees, as this is the type of film he hasn’t made in some time. In truth, Homefront wasn’t interesting enough to warrant follow-ups, but The Beekeeper looks like Statham’s most exciting action project in years. Audiences will decide if a sequel happens, of course, but it would be nice to see Jason Statham having a new series that isn’t PG-13.