It's true, we don't necessarily want range from Jason Statham-- he's good at running around and scowling and getting the hell beaten out of him, and that's probably never going to change. But it gets a little tiring to read a Statham casting announcement and always think "Yeah, of course. That's the obvious choice."

For example, in today's Variety they write that Statham will star in a remake of The Mechanic, a 1972 Charles Bronson movie about a hitman who has to train the son of one of his victims. You think, sure, Jason Statham hitman! Kinda like the Transporter! Or Chev Chelios, or whoever his character was in Death Race. A bad dude on a mission-- no one does it better than Statham. But might it be time to try someone else anyway?

The remake will be directed by Simon West, who previously remade When a Stranger Calls. Will he find some way to play off Statham's image in an interesting way? Probably not. But at least it'll be another chance to see Statham do what he does best.