The art of the meta self-starring movie is a fine one, and its canon is incredibly small. John Malkovich gives good John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich; Charli xcx makes a fine Charli xcx in A24’s The Moment; and Nicolas Cage gives great Nic Cage in The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent. They may soon however all bow down to a new master: Jason Statham. Yes, per Deadline‘s reporting, The Stath is set to play himself in the brilliantly titled Jason Statham Stole My Bike, a new action-comedy from The Fall Guy director and 87 North co-founder David Leitch.
Due to shoot this May from a script by BoJack Horseman and School Of Rock (the TV series) writing alum Alison Flierl, Jason Statham Stole My Bike — pitched as a big-budget action-comedy with huge set pieces, a firmly tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, and a surprisingly lofty $80 million budget — is currently lighting up the European Film Market in Berlin, where the project’s already attracting a lot of attention. Amazon is, sources suggest, close to picking up the film in multiple territories. So far as the plot of the movie’s concerned however, that much is being kept firmly under wraps for now. It is worth noting that Deadline‘s sources have heard the movie will see The Stath “in the role of a lifetime, playing global action superstar Jason Statham,” and that the film is called Jason Statham Stole My Bike, which may hold some clues as to what’s in store…
For Statham, most recently seen Stathing in Ric Roman Waugh’s action-thriller Shelter, Jason Statham Stole My Bike may represent a golden opportunity to return to the more comedy stylings of fan favourites like Spy and The Meg. And, depending when it hits our screens, Statham’s self-starrer may even be in with a shout at the inaugural Stunt Design Oscar due to be handed out in 2028, which would be fitting given Leitch and 87 North co-founder/wife Kelly McCormick’s vocal and lengthy campaign for the Academy to acknowledge the stunt community. Until we hear more about the movie though, for now there’s only one thing to do: pop on a bald cap, gruff up our finest Stath accent, and marathon the Shirebrook Don’s filmography from start to bloody finish.
