David Ayer (Suicide Squad) has set up his next film at Miramax per Deadline, which will star none other than Jason Statham (Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw). The Beekeeper, which is described as a fast-paced action thriller, will cover a man's personal path to seek revenge. Additionally, it will somehow be steeped in the deep and intriguing lore of beekeeping.
No other details about the plot of the film, aside from that brief concept, are available at this time. Miramax will present the film to other partners and distributors at the upcoming Cannes market. The project sounds like a perfect vehicle for Statham, who has made a name for himself with wild action films like Crank and The Meg. Ayer, meanwhile, is an excellent director for gritty action films, though most audiences tend to primarily recall the debacle that was the DCEU's 2016 film Suicide Squad. This will mark the first collaboration between the two, though there is a distant relationship via Fast and Furious, as Ayer wrote the screenplay for the original 2001 film.
Ayer's last film, The Tax Collector, was poorly received by critics and received little recognition, in no small part due to releasing at an early point in the COVID-19 pandemic. It's easy to forget some of the excellent and gritty films he has made, whether that be End of Watch or Fury. He's also directed Harsh Times, Sabotage, and Netflix's Bright, which starred Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. It was recently revealed that Bright would no longer be getting a sequel, though Smith is the culprit on that front.
Statham's latest credits include Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man, The Meg, and The Fate of the Furious. The action star is set to re-team with Ritchie for his next film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, which also stars Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Josh Hartnett, Bugzy Malone, and Hugh Grant. Statham is also set to return for The Meg 2: The Trench in 2023. For unknown reasons, STXFilms pulled the film from the release schedule, and no new release date has yet to be given. Statham also recently wrapped Expend4bles, where he portrays Lee Christmas alongside Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture.
The Beekeeper does not yet have a release date.