Jason Statham needs to revive one of his potential movie franchises after more than two decades based on the success he’s had with Fast & Furious. Statham found his biggest action franchise to date once he agreed to play Deckard Shaw in the Fast & Furious movies. His decision to join the $7.3 billion franchise came after he was already well-established as a seasoned action movie star. The British actor has only become more recognizable in the years since joining Fast & Furious, allowing him to launch new franchises and consider returning to older ones.

Between the likes of Expendables, The Meg, Transporter, and more, Jason Statham has no shortage of franchises that he’s already connected to. And yet, there are also a number of movies he’s starred in that could still use sequels. Seeing him become an increasingly bigger player in the Fast & Furious franchise shows how perfectly he fits within the car-centric action heist series. It also means that Statham needs to seriously consider bringing back a franchise that failed to get off the ground 21 years ago.

Jason Statham Should Revive The Italian Job After Fast & Furious Success

The Italian Job Has Franchise Potential

The success that Jason Statham continues to experience in Fast & Furious and beyond paves the way for a revival of The Italian Job. He played Handsome Rob in the 2003 movie that revolved around a group of criminals hired to perform a heist. Handsome Rob was the team’s main driver, giving Statham an action movie role connected to cars long before Fast & Furious came calling. It even includes additional Fast & Furious connections through Charlize Theron’s main role and F. Gary Gray directing, which made The Fate of the Furious a major reunion for Statham, Theron, and Gray.

Although it has been 21 years since The Italian Job came out and made $176 million at the box office, the success that Fast & Furious found suggests there could be room for this franchise to grow in popularity. The Italian Job‘s box office was comparable to the early entries in the Fast & Furious franchise, and the films achieved far greater success around the time Statham came aboard. With the box office total now surpassing $7.3 billion, there is evidence that The Italian Job could also thrive with a revival.

The Italian Job 2 Can Give Statham Another Fast & Furious Replacement Franchise

Fast & Furious Is Ending

Jason Statham should be motivated to revive The Italian Job too. The Fast & Furious franchise is approaching its end, with Fast X: Part 2 slated to be the end of the main saga. Additional entries could still be made, but Statham’s future as Deckard Shaw is very much unknown. That could mean that he loses his biggest franchise at the box office within the next few years. While he has The Meg as a suitable replacement in terms of an over-the-top action series, the hole left by Fast & Furious would still be quite substantial.

There is a chance that Statham could transform The Italian Job into his true Fast & Furious replacement. The films share a similar core concept; they are action-heist films with ensemble casts and a focus on cars. The Italian Job had a much smaller scope compared to the modern Fast & Furious movies, but a sequel could copy the recipe for success. The Italian Job 2 would feel even more like a Fast & Furious replacement if Theron and F. Gary Gray returned alongside Statham.

Why The Italian Job 2 Hasn’t Happened Yet

The Sequel Began Development In 2004

Ideas for The Italian Job 2 have been floated around in the years since the original movie’s release, but they have never come to be. Although scripts were written and talent, including Mark Wahlberg, was attached to return, the film could not gain enough traction. The biggest holdup for The Italian Job 2 over the years appears to be a lack of real momentum and interest on Paramount’s part to move forward with it.

The first movie was a box office success, so The Italian Job 2 happening would make sense financially. However, bringing back Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and Jason Statham would not be cheap at this stage. The sequel would have to be made at a much higher cost than The Italian Job‘s reported $60 million budget to account for their participation and the likely larger-scale action sequences. Paramount’s hesitancy to do just that is understandable without a guarantee of a massive box office return, but Fast & Furious‘ success suggests that could be a mistake.