Jason Statham on His 'Mechanic' Sequel: 'This Is Entertainment… This Is Not for Thespians to Yap Over'


Jason Statham had a very simple, very logical response to our question about what factors he considers when deciding whether to do a sequel to one of his many franchises. “Well look, you can sit on the sofa and watch some TV, or you can go make a movie,” the action star told Yahoo Movies (watch above) at the Los Angeles press day for his latest film, Mechanic Resurrection.

Five years after The Mechanic (itself a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie), Statham returns to the role of Arthur Bishop, a hit man whose specialty is taking out unsavory types and making it look like an accident. He faked his own death at the end of the 2011 original, and in Resurrection, is enjoying retirement in Rio de Janeiro before he’s blackmailed back into business by a mysterious business tycoon.

Statham describes Bishop — who will ultimately have to pull off three missions impossible while his new love interest (Jessica Alba) is held hostage — as a mix between James Bond and his gadget guru Q. “He works alone, he hatches these ingenious plans on how to get in and out of places without getting seen or without leaving a trace. And I love that.”

Related: Jason Statham Still Interested in Playing James Bond

As the 49-year-old Brit, who has also made three Transporter movies, two Crank films, three Expendables ensembles, and two Fast and Furious sequels puts it, “There’s a million reasons to get off the sofa and go and do this kind of work.

“If you’re talking about some intellectual aspect of what drives me as an actor, this is a popcorn movie. This is entertainment. This is not for thespians to yap over and go, ‘Oh, really?‘”

Mechanic: Resurrection is now in theaters.