Jason Statham on why he’ll never do a superhero movie

Last Updated on December 15, 2023

In the early 2000s, Jason Statham was positioning himself as the next big action star, leading the century off with his Transporter movies, the Crank double feature and so many others. And Statham has more or less stuck to the genre, joining the ensembles of The Expendables and Fast & Furious series as the decades turned. And not that you would, but don’t expect to see Statham in a superhero movie…primarily due to the getup.

Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival (via Variety), Jason Statham said he just can’t picture himself in the stereotypical superhero outfit. “I don’t have a big appetite for a costume, with cape and tights…I like old school 80s movies. I was inspired by people like Stallone and Arnold. And even before those guys, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Eastwood. I just couldn’t see any of those guys putting on a cape, and a mask and going around on wires.” Statham certainly has some admirable idols here, but they could even point to ways that he could conceivably enter the superhero game under his set stipulations, as Sly did with Samaritan and Schwarzenegger did as Mr. Freeze — OK, bad example. And for what it’s worth, McQueen, Newman and Eastwood were all reportedly considered for the role of Superman in the 1978 movie before Christopher Reeve landed it.

Still, Jason Statham did recognize the place superhero movies have in pop culture, but reiterated it wasn’t his cup of tea, saying, “I’m drawn to a bit more of a grounded kind of action…Well, I like being grounded to be an element we inject into the crazy world that we’re in.” Good save, Jason!

In the meantime, Statham heads the — yes, action flick — The Beekeeper (due out on January 24th), directed by David Ayer, who helmed DCEU’s Suicide Squad. Come to think of it, it probably couldn’t have hurt too much to cast him as Deadshot…

Can you picture Jason Statham in a major superhero movie or does he not fit the mold? If so, who would you cast him as? Let us know in the comments section below!