While Jason Statham’s $162 million sleeper hit from 2024 was already one of his best action movies in years, its upcoming sequel sounds even wilder and even better than its predecessor. Jason Statham’s movies vary wildly in terms of quality, but one reliable truth has held firm since the start of the actor’s onscreen career. While more self-serious Statham projects like 2005’s Revolver and 2011’s Blitz tend to rank among his most forgettable films, self-consciously ridiculous movies like 2006’s Crank and 2021’s F9 are among his best movies.
Statham is at his best when his movies have their proverbial tongue painted firmly in cheek, as evidenced by the critical and commercial success of 2024’s The Beekeeper. Directed by Training Day’s David Ayer, The Beekeeper stars Statham as the eponymous mild-mannered beekeeper whose elderly friend takes her own life after losing her savings to a phishing scam. Unfortunately for the scammers, Statham’s unassuming beekeeper turns out to be one of the Beekeepers, a super-secret spy organisation who protect the US behind the scenes through a whole lot of killing.
Jason Statham’s Sequel The Beekeeper 2 Sounds Absurd (And Absurdly Fun)
The rest of The Beekeeper’s gleefully silly story sees Statham’s antihero shoot, stab, and fist-fight his way through a conspiracy that involves Josh Hutcherson’s privileged tech bro, his corrupt politician mother, the FBI, the CIA, and, of course, the Beekeepers themselves. While Ayer’s original movie was an unexpected critical hit and a massive box office success thanks to its goofy, self-aware sense of humor, 2027’s upcoming sequel, The Beekeeper 2, will not be toning things down, judging by the reactions to the footage/trailer descriptions from CinemaCon.
Per audience reactions online, The Beekeeper 2 sees Beekeepers try to take over the U.S. government, and includes a scene where Statham’s character kills a henchman with a flamethrower to the face before telling them not to be “so hot-headed.” Statham is also seen wearing a beard of bees at one point, and there is an implication that the bees themselves can somehow heal him in what sounds like a vague attempt to justify his seemingly superhuman levels of endurance and resilience. If this all sounds absurd, that’s because it is.
However, this is not necessarily a bad thing for The Beekeeper 2, and may instead be the best move the sequel could make. The Beekeeper 2’s audience reactions seemingly imply that the sequel will reach levels of gory, high-octane silliness not seen since Statham’s earlier wild action movie sequel Crank: High Voltage, and this has the potential to be great news for the franchise’s future. After all, the last two decades of Statham’s career are a testament to the fact that the star is at his best when his movies get a little absurd.
Statham’s Action Movies Are At Their Best When They’re A Little Crazy
From the Transporter trilogy that made him a star to both of The Meg movies, Statham has never shied away from a project that everyone knew was a little silly from the jump. Since the actor has such a deadpan, stony-faced screen persona, it makes sense that the British action star gravitates toward goofier movies that contrast well with this gruff attitude. Thus, the news that The Beekeeper 2 will take the original movie’s audacity to new heights is a welcome surprise, since the franchise could have shot itself in the foot by trying to treat its plot more seriously.