In the world of action movies, Jason Statham ranks among the best. He's built his acting career primarily around punching bad guys in the face and driving around in cool cars, from the Transporter trilogy to the more recent Fast & Furious movies to even parodying these kind of roles in Spy. Of course, cinema fans know that when it comes to action, James Bond is one of the greatest characters the genre has ever know, and Statham would be interested in appearing one of those films if given the opportunity. That said, he's not chomping at the bit for the chance because of how many other action movie opportunities there are.
Statham pointed out during an interview with Yahoo that the reason he's not desperate to play James Bond is because that franchise is no longer the only way to feature that kind of excitement or global intrigue on the big screen. As he put it:
I think James Bond now, it's not a standalone [movie]. You know, back in the day, that was the only type of film in its own sort of way that was doing these international sort of locations with high-end action. Nowadays you got Jason Bourne, you've got Mission Impossible, you can do your own thing.
When the James Bond movie franchise kicked off in 1962 with Dr. No, it definitely was unique among the other movies at the time. The first cinematic 007 adventure was crucial in ushering in the modern action genre, specifically the "secret agent" sub-genre that continue to be popular. However, as Jason Statham astutely pointed out, nowadays we have franchises like Mission Impossible and the Bourne movies, which can just as easily provide audiences the same global scale or elaborate action sequences. Of course, it would be foolish not acknowledge how popular James Bond continues to be over 50 years later, it's just that the suave agent's exploits are no longer the only venue to show off international intrigue.
Following the release of Spectre last November, the James Bond franchise is currently planning a sequel, but details surrounding it are scarce, including how there's been no official confirmation if Daniel Craig will reprise 007 or not. Jason Statham certainly doesn't need a James Bond movie to expand his action career, but it sounds like he's gam to participate in some way, especially considering how deeply-rooted these movies are in pop culture. Maybe he won't be the new man to wear the tuxedo and drink the shaken martini, but he could always appear as a villain or fellow agent.
Stay tuned for Cinema Blend for any relevant news concerning the James Bond movies. As for Statham, he can be seen later this week reprising Arthur Bishop in Mechanic: Resurrection, and his other upcoming projects include Fast 8 and Meg.
