The first two roles of Jason Statham‘s big screen career came under the direction of Guy Ritchie in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, while he starred in three of the filmmaker’s first four movies after also taking top billing in Revolver. They haven’t collaborated since the widely panned 2005 crime thriller, but that’s all set to change in a big way. And we couldn’t be more excited about it.
In the sixteen years since, Statham has more than cemented his status as one of cinema’s premiere action heroes, while Ritchie’s filmography has been plagued by inconsistency, especially following his move into big budget blockbuster territory. His two Sherlock Holmes efforts made over $500 million each and Aladdin sailed past the billion dollar mark, but The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword both bombed, with the latter in particular one of the biggest commercial duds in history.
However, Ritchie’s last film, The Gentlemen saw him back on familiar turf, and it wasn’t a coincidence that the snappy crime comedy was his best in years. Now, the RocknRolla director has revealed a behind the scenes look at his upcoming thriller Five Eyes, and you can check it out up above.
Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza star in the globetrotting tale of an MI6 operative and CIA agent recruited by the eponymous multinational intelligence network to prevent deadly weapons falling into the wrong hands, with Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes and Hugh Grant also on board.
As chance would have it, Five Eyes is just one of two Guy Ritchie/Jason Statham projects in the works, with heist thriller Wrath of Man having wrapped shooting last year, as the duo appear intent to make up for lost time after remaining outside of each other’s orbit for so long.
