Action movie superstar Jason Statham has now decided to step away from the upcoming Kevin Hart headline action-comedyThe Man from Toronto. The movie, coming from Sony Pictures, was all set to be a key highlight of the studio’s upcoming holiday schedule, with an initial release date set for the end of November this year.
Jason Statham’s gruff-speaking action hero teaming up with the funnymanKevin Hartwas one of the major selling points ofThe Man from Toronto, and so, with Statham now no longer involved, Sony Pictures will need to find a man of action capable of stepping into Statham’s shoes.
The Man From Torontotells the story of a mishap at an Airbnb rental that results in Kevin Hart’s character being confused with a deadly assassin, who, of course, hails from Toronto. Thanks to this silly mix up, the two men are forced to join forces in order to help save the day without killing one another.Jason Stathamwas all set to play the assassin character, the kind of role that he can do with a flourish. Kevin Hart and Jason Statham previously appeared together in theFast and FuriousspinoffHobbs and Shaw, where Kevin Hart played a small yet very crucial role in the action, proving the two stars did have chemistry.
There are no other actors currently attached to the project, meaning Hart is now the only known performer still tied to the movie.Director Patrick Hughes of The Expendables 3andThe Hitman’s Bodyguardfame is still on board to take the helm, working from a scripy by writer Robbie Fox.
The report of Jason Statham’s decision to walk away from the project has come somewhere between four and six weeks away from the start of production. The actor’s exact reasons for his withdrawal are not yet completely clear, but it has been reported that there were creative differences between Jason Statham and Sony Pictures. Notably, the main reason being that Sony was looking to make the movie PG-13, whilst Statham wantedThe Man from Torontoto be R-rated. This does make sense, as Statham does love to wreak the kind of chaos that often requires an R-rating.
Interestingly, these initial reports of Statham’s backing out of the project were followed up by reports that the actor has now dropped WME as his agency, which he has only been with for about a year. The reasons for that departure also remain mysterious, but perhapsStatham is looking for a slight shift in his movie career. In most instances where an actor leaves their agency, they are somewhat dissatisfied with the roles they are being offered, or with the compensation that is attached to those roles. If the discrepancy over the rating ofThe Man from Torontois true, then this could mean that Statham is looking to star in more adult-orientated movies from now on.
But, fear not Statham fans, as the actor has several projects on the cinematic horizon, including the crime dramaCash Truck, directed by Guy Ritchie and set for release in 2021. The plot follows H, played by Statham, a cold and mysterious character working at a cash truck company responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week.
