Ever since his debut in 1998 in Guy Ritchie’s cult classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it feels like Jason Statham hasn’t slowed down. The actor has taken on a wide range of roles across many genres, though action thrillers dominate his filmography. There are plenty of certified classics in his large body of work, whether it was the 2002 martial arts film The Transporter or his role as the villain Deckard Shaw in Furious 7 (and appearances in subsequent Fast & Furious films), and he continues to make original thrillers to this day, with Mutiny being the most recent example.
Now, it seems that one of Statham’s most seminal films is getting an unexpected legacy sequel. According to a new report from Deadline, Paramount Pictures is in early talks to make a follow-up to The Italian Job. The movie was released in 2003 and is itself inspired by a 1969 British film of the same name, which starred actors like Michael Caine. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the 2003 reimagining featured an ensemble cast that included Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and Edward Norton, along with Jason Statham. It grossed $176 million worldwide, which speaks to the film’s success at the time.
The most interesting detail of this report is that Paramount is in talks with Paul Feig to helm the sequel to The Italian Job. Feig is known for directing movies such as A Simple Favor and its sequel, Another Simple Favor, and most recently directed The Housemaid, the Sydney Sweeney-led film based on the novel of the same name that made $400 million worldwide. Lionsgate is also developing a sequel to that film. Deadline‘s report doesn’t include many details about the possible sequel, other than that Paramount wants Feig to direct it. The Italian Job came out in theaters 23 years ago, but its legacy is still palpable in heist films today.
Feig’s films have been known to have different layers of mysteries as well as plenty of twists and turns, so it is no surprise that Paramount wants him for the next Italian Job. The original movie featured double-crosses and story beats expected of the heist genre, but still managed to take viewers by surprise. Should the 2016 Ghostbusters director end up taking on the job, the sequel should also feature unexpected story developments and a new creative heist. The heist genre isn’t something Feig has done before, which makes this choice particularly interesting.
Deadline‘s report also doesn’t mention whether any of the original cast will return. In the 2003 film, Jason Statham played Handsome Rob, the crew’s getaway driver and expert boat handler for Charlie Croker (Wahlberg). It’s one of the lighter characters Statham has played in his career, and a reunion with Wahlberg for another Italian Job film is just the kind of legacy sequel Hollywood seems fixated on producing these days. No one at Paramount has commented as of this writing, so it will be interesting to see whether more news comes to light and whether the original cast will return for the sequel.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
