Summary
Jason Stathamneeds to revive one of his potential movie franchises after more than two decades based on the success he’s had withFast & Furious. Statham found his biggest action franchise to date once he agreed to play Deckard Shaw in theFast & Furiousmovies. His decision to join the $7.3 billion franchise came after he was already well-established as a seasoned action movie star. The British actor has only become more recognizable in the years since joiningFast & Furious, allowing him to launch new franchises and consider returning to older ones.
Between the likes ofExpendables,The Meg,Transporter, and more,Jason Statham has no shortage of franchisesthat he’s already connected to. And yet, there are also a number of movies he’s starred in that could still use sequels. Seeing him become an increasingly bigger player in theFast & Furiousfranchise shows how perfectly he fits within the car-centric action heist series. It also means that Statham needs to seriously consider bringing back a franchise that failed to get off the ground 21 years ago.
Every Jason Statham Franchise, Ranked Worst To Best
Jason Statham has appeared in a few movie franchises over the course of his career, and here’s every one of them ranked from worst to best.
The success that Jason Statham continues to experience inFast & Furiousand beyond paves the way for a revival ofThe Italian Job. He played Handsome Rob in the 2003 movie that revolved around a group of criminals hired to perform a heist. Handsome Rob was the team’s main driver, giving Statham an action movie role connected to cars long beforeFast & Furiouscame calling. It even includes additionalFast & Furiousconnections through Charlize Theron’s main role and F. Gary Gray directing, which madeThe Fate of the Furiousa major reunion for Statham, Theron, and Gray.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw included an Easter egg for The Italian Job, as Rob’s car is part of Deckard Shaw’s collection.
Although it has been 21 years sinceThe Italian Jobcame out and made $176 million at the box office, the success thatFast & Furiousfound suggests there could be room for this franchise to grow in popularity.The Italian Job’s box office was comparable to the early entries in theFast & Furiousfranchise, and the films achieved far greater success around the time Statham came aboard. With the box office total now surpassing $7.3 billion, there is evidence thatThe Italian Jobcould also thrive with a revival.
The Italian Job 2 Can Give Statham Another Fast & Furious Replacement Franchise
Fast & Furious Is Ending
Jason Statham should be motivated to reviveThe Italian Jobtoo. TheFast & Furiousfranchise is approaching its end, withFast X: Part 2slated to be the end of the main saga. Additional entries could still be made, butStatham’s future as Deckard Shaw is very much unknown. That could mean that he loses his biggest franchise at the box office within the next few years. While he hasThe Megas a suitable replacement in terms of an over-the-top action series, the hole left byFast & Furiouswould still be quite substantial.
There is a chance that Statham could transformThe Italian Jobintohis trueFast & Furiousreplacement. The films share a similar core concept;they are action-heist films with ensemble casts and a focus on cars.The Italian Jobhad a much smaller scope compared to the modernFast & Furiousmovies, but a sequel could copy the recipe for success.The Italian Job 2would feel even more like aFast & Furiousreplacement if Theron and F. Gary Gray returned alongside Statham.
Why The Italian Job 2 Hasn’t Happened Yet
The Sequel Began Development In 2004
Ideas forThe Italian Job 2have been floated around in the years since the original movie’s release, but they have never come to be. Although scripts were written andtalent, including Mark Wahlberg, was attached to return, the film could not gain enough traction. The biggest holdup forThe Italian Job 2over the years appears to be a lack of real momentum and interest on Paramount’s part to move forward with it.
The first movie was a box office success, soThe Italian Job 2happening would make sense financially. However, bringing back Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, andJason Stathamwould not be cheap at this stage. The sequel would have to be made at a much higher cost thanThe Italian Job’s reported $60 million budget to account for their participation and the likely larger-scale action sequences. Paramount’s hesitancy to do just that is understandable without a guarantee of a massive box office return, butFast & Furious' success suggests that could be a mistake.
