Jason Statham Is Teaming Up With A Parks and Recreation Star For His Next Movie
Jason Statham is teaming up with a Parks and Recreation star for his next movie and this could really be both comedic and frenetic
Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie are reuniting for another movie coming out next year, one that looks like it follows some familiar themes we’ve seen from the duo before. And they are adding a somewhat unexpected face to the group. It was announced on Twitter that Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza is getting in the mix as well. If other movies from the Ritchie/ Statham pairing are any indication then this should be another high-octane frenzy of action.
The next movie is Operation Fortune and will feature Jason Statham as Orson Fortune, an agent who is recruited by a secretive organization to save the world by preventing the sale of dangerous weapons to the wrong people. It sounds, on its face, as old a story as the action movie genre itself. But we know that Statham and Ritchie have fantastic chemistry in bringing the director’s movies to the big screen. And Aubrey Plaza has shown an on-screen gift few in the industry have, a calm and side-eyed approach to things that she seems to have off-screen as well. You can see how they announced this cast on social media this week.
It’s not immediately clear what role Aubrey Plaza, alongside Jason Statham, will have in the film. But her subdued and sardonic style could play well here, especially if it’s surrounded by a flurry of action and relative mania. She’s shown a certain range throughout her career, but it often involves maintaining the same level of blasé indifference even in the face of some crazy stuff happening around her. In Parks and Recreation that was as April Ludgate who couldn’t be phased by even the most asinine behavior of on-screen boyfriend Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt). And then in Legion she really dialed it up as Lenny, playing a number of different characters at once in almost haunting fashion. It was a masterclass of acting.
Joining Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza in Operation Fortune will be some other familiar faces as well. Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, and Hugh Grant all also have roles.
Jason Statham and Ritchie are coming off another movie from last spring in Wrath of Man. It was the fourth time the two had worked together after Ritchie originally cast Statham in 1998’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Wrath of Man performed well enough with the critics at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and had a solid box office outing, scoring $104 million on its $40 million budget. This was before theaters had fully reopened in all territories too, making the number more than palatable.
We will get to see the Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza pairing in Operation Fortune soon enough. The movie is set to release in theaters on January 21, 2022. From the director’s and star’s resumes, we might have another hit on our hands. And considering the cast they’ve brought in, it’s likely to lean a little more comedic than the last movie, again, something right up Jason Statham’s and Guy Ritchie’s (and Aubrey Plaza’s) alley.
