You know you’re truly an iconic movie star when you play yourself in a meta movie where you mock your entire persona. Just ask John Malkovich and Nicolas Cage. And now, we can add action movie and Fast and the Furious icon Jason Statham to the esteemed (yet small) group of actors. According to a report from Empire, Jason Statham will play himself in the upcoming film, Jason Statham Stole My Bike. While we wish this were a remake of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, with Statham playing bike thief Francis Buxton, it sadly does not seem to be the case. The director of Jason Statham Stole My Bike is The Fall Guy and Deadpool 2‘s David Leitch.
What do we know about this upcoming meta action-comedy? Not a lot, besides its titular star playing a version of himself. The original report says the film, which begins shooting in May, has a budget of $80 million dollars. That is a substantial amount for a comedy, even one with plenty of action in it. The screenplay comes from Alison Flierl, whose credits include BoJack Horseman and the School of Rock series. Jason Statham has a huge international box office appeal, which is likely how this movie secured such a big budget.
It’s been a long time since an outright comedy struck box office gold. At least struck it in such a way as to warrant such a hefty price tag. Once the bread and butter of the Hollywood film industry, in an era with a metric ton of comedy series on streaming, and with everyone looking at funny videos on their phones, folks just don’t want to pay to see a good old-fashioned comedy on the big screen. Maybe Jason Statham can be the action hero who saves the big-budget comedy movie. No pressure, Mister Statham. We’re sure you’ve got this.