Jason Statham remade two of this Hollywood legend’s films (but their only film sucked)

Jason Statham remade not one but two of the Hollywood icon’s films Burt Reynolds – it’s a shame their only collaboration was so bad. Despite making his name in Guy Ritchie’s gangster comedies, Statham soon made a dramatic change in his career. The era of Jason Statham action films began in earnest in 2001 Ghosts from Marsbut it was The transporter this proved to be his big breakthrough. Like any leading man, he had ups and downs, but the box office success of The beekeeper proves that Statham is still at the top of his game.

He also remade several cult classics from the action genre. Statham Led the Charle Bronson Remake The Mechanic and played the lead role in rebooting the Death Race franchise. One of the first remakes in which young Statham appeared was Medium machinewhere he played a violent prisoner named Monk, who takes part in a football match between inmates and guards. The film was a remake of 1974 The longest yardand while Medium machine was actually a vehicle for football player-turned-actor Vinnie Jones, Statham stole the show.

Jason Statham Remade Burt Reynolds Films The Longest Yard & Heat

Mean Machine and Wild Card were removed from Burt Reynolds’ filmography

Medium machine was an extremely British riff on The longest yard, where Burt Reynolds played a disgraced quarterback sent to prison. He seeks redemption in a game between guards and prisoners, the film being one of the late star’s best performances of the 1970s. It was also the film that cemented Reynolds’ stardom, following the praise he received for Release. He then became one of the biggest box office draws of the decade, delivering hit after hit like the Smokey and the Bandit movies or 1978 Hooper.

Sadly, a series of box office disappointments during the 1980s, such as City heat – who brought him together with his friend Clint Eastwood – and Stick saw Reynolds’ A-list career fall into a steep decline. One of his most notable projects of the period was Warm upan adaptation of the novel of the same name by acclaimed author and screenwriter William Goldman (The princess bride).

This 1986 thriller cast Reynolds as a Las Vegas bodyguard who becomes involved in a series of violent misadventures. As Stick before that, Warm up was another troubled production that grossed less than $3 million (via The Numbers) worldwide. Jason Statham later dusted off the script for Warm up with 2015 thriller Wildcardwhich was much closer to Goldman’s original intent. The film was intended to show a more dramatic side of Statham, but as Warm up before that, Wildcard was a box office failure, grossing US$6.7 million on an estimated production budget of US$30 million.

Jason Statham and Burt Reynolds co-starred in the worst film of their careers

In the Name of the King even managed to launch a franchise

Director Uwe Boll became famous for his video game adaptations during the 2000s, where he transformed names like Alone in the dark or The House of the Dead in almost inaccessible waste. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale was Boll’s attempt to make a Lord of the Ringsstyle fantasy epic, with a cast that included Ray Liotta, John Rhy-Davies and Matthew Lillard. In the Name of the King is notable for being Jason Statham and Burt Reynolds’ only big-screen collaborationalthough they both probably regretted signing.

The film cast Statham as Farmer, who sets out to avenge the death of his son by an evil magician. Reynolds plays the titular king, with Farmer’s quest for revenge pulling him into a bigger fight. In the Name of the King it sits at 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film on Statham’s resume. Although Reynolds and Statham have appeared in their share of bad films, Boll’s Rings Imitation may just be your lowest point.

Despite a budget of US$60 million, In the Name of the King looks and feels fancy and is widely misunderstood – a criticism that also extends to Reynolds’ performance. Although the film flopped (grossing $13 million), Boll later directed two sequels for STV: 2011 In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds starring Dolph Lundgren and 2014 The Last Mission.

Heat and Wild Card suffered similar fates

Both Heat adaptations were strangely cursed

Sharing the title with Michael Mann’s 1995 crime masterpiece made whatever small cultural impact Reynolds had Warm up left, the film has been all but forgotten now. Goldman virtually rejected the final product and cherished it in his memoir What lie did I tell? that the project went through no less than six directors. The final version of Warm up is credited to Dick Richards and Jerry Jameson, with the former quitting after Reynolds hit him during production; he later sued the actor for assault and received $500,000 in damages.

Richard also wanted his name removed Warm uphaving directed just 13 days of production; however, a ruling by the Directors Guild of America ruled that Richards was responsible for 40% of the final film. Richard was the replacement for the legendary Robert Altman, who signed on to direct Warm up but left when his preferred DP did not receive the necessary work permits to participate in production. Jerry Jameson took over when Richards left, although he was not credited for his contributions.

Wildcard didn’t suffer from such a cursed production, but it did find Statham in a similar position in his career. The remake was originally planned to be directed by Brian De Palma; although the pairing of Statham and De Palma excited film fans, the latter ended up dropping out Wildcard. Con Air Simon West took over, but despite Statham committing to a more grounded thriller, the film failed to appeal to critics or audiences.

In cases of Warm up and Wildcardboth stars were coming off multiple flops. This found them at a career crossroads, but although Statham decided to expand to a wider audience with the Fast and Furious saga or MegReynolds’ career never fully recovered. The star later returned to television, scoring a hit sitcom with Night shadow. During the 1990s, he took on supporting roles, with some of his most notable projects including Dance nights and Mystery, Alaska.

Burt Reynolds’ planned Jason Statham remake would be perfect for

Sharky’s Machine is ready for a Jason Statham-shaped update

After a long period of comedies during the 1970s, Reynolds was eager to move on to heavier filmmaking during the 1980s. Reynolds found his own take on Eastwood Dirty Harry with 1981 Sharky Machineabout a vice cop chasing a ruthless killer. The thriller was surprisingly well-received at the time, and it was later announced in 2006 that Mark Wahlberg would lead a modern update. Future John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk was behind this version, but stated in 2023 that it fell apart when Warner Bros. moved away from mid-grade action thrillers (via Above the law).

In fact, if a Sharky Machine remake always happens, Jason Statham is the obvious choice. Not only does he have previous experience remaking Burt Reynolds films, there are few stars of his caliber who could present a fresh take on a gritty crime thriller so convincingly. A reboot would have a hard time topping the incredible royal feat that ends Sharky Machinebut it’s a story that needs a new coat of paint.

Source: The Numbers, The Numbers, Rotten tomatoesWhat lie did I tell?, Los Angeles Times, Above the line