The Jason Statham action thriller that everyone is buzzing about, The Beekeeper 2, is now well underway, with the follow-up rounding out its supporting cast and bringing back several favorites. The Stath will once again protect the hive as the mysterious former assassin Adam Clay, with The Beekeeper 2 all set to be helmed by Nobody 2 and The Shadow Strays director Timo Tjahjanto.
Now, a new Variety report has revealed that, alongside The Stath, The Beekeeper 2will add an MCU star and a former WWE superstar to the hive. Pom Klementieff, best known for her roles in the Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, and Mission: Impossible franchises, and pro wrestler-turned-actor Adam Copeland, who has featured in the likes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, will star alongside The Stath in the action sequel.
While details of their characters remain under wraps, the smart money is on Klementieff and Copeland being fellow “Beekeepers,” and will no doubt either work alongside or against Statham in the highly anticipated follow-up. Klementieff is, of course, no stranger to action thanks to roles in the MCU and both Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and this year’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Meanwhile, it’s easy to imagine Copeland throwing Statham around like a rag doll. All of which suggests the action icon will have his hands full when The Beekeeper 2 buzzes onto screens.
The Beekeeper 2 will also bring back Emmy Raver-Lampman and Bobby Naderi as FBI agents Verona Parker and Matt Wiley, with Jemma Redgrave set to return as Jessica Danforth, the (surely former?) President of the United States. They join fellow returning actor Jeremy Irons, who will once again portray the villainous Wallace Westwyld. One mysterious new recruit has also been added to the fray, with Black-ish and Peter Pan & Wendy star Yara Shahidi having now also been added to the cast in an as yet undisclosed role.
‘The Beekeeper 2’ Will Transform Jason Statham into Timo Tjahjanto’s Version of The Punisher
Released last year, The Beekeeper saw huge success for Jason Statham, going on to gross $152.7 million at the worldwide box office and scoring 71% from critics alongside a hugely impressive 92% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Plot details for The Beekeeper 2 remain under wraps, but fans are hoping that more of the titular assassins will be unleashed.
Following such brutal and bloody action thriller delights as The Night Comes for Us and The Shadow Strays, Timo Tjahjanto has now smashed his way into Hollywood, directing the sequel Nobody 2 with Bob Odenkirk. Speaking exclusively with MovieWeb’s own George Edelman, the filmmaker compared both Odenkirk and Statham and how both follow-ups center on aging men who continue to fight despite how “beaten down they are.”
“And as most like Jason’s films that you know, I love it, because here we are telling the story of a man like, like, like Bob himself, you know, like Statham here right now, he’s playing a character who acknowledged that he’s aging, you know. And I think I’m definitely drawn into characters who are still going, regardless of, you know, how sort of, like, beaten down they are, you know.”
Tjahjanto has also teased how The Beekeeper 2 will allow him to live his dream of bringing a certain Marvel vigilante to life, with his intention to transform Statham’s Adam Clay into his own version of The Punisher. He explained to ScreenRant…
“I’m definitely drawn to the Beekeeper series just because when I watched it, I always felt that, “Wow, this is essentially Statham playing one of my favorite characters in the Marvel universe, which is The Punisher.
“If I can’t make The Punisher film, if the Gods of film aren’t allowing me to do a Punisher film yet, then I’ll turn Adam Clay into my own version of The Punisher. Which is great! I think Statham has that quality in him. He has that very stoic Frank Castle-esque quality to him. And I love that Adam Clay is definitely a guy who is quite colorful in his choice of violence. He gets really, really creative with his violence.”
- Release Date
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January 12, 2024
- Runtime
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105 minutes
- Director
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David Ayer