As one of the biggest action stars on the planet, Jason Statham is no stranger to successful sequels. Over the course of his career, I and millions of other fans have been enticed into theaters by the prospect of Statham reprising roles in hit series like The Transporter, Fast and Furious, and The Expendables. Even critical failures like The Meg have received follow-ups – highlighting Statham’s ability to defy negative reviews. And yet, for all his longevity and success, I’m still waiting to see a sequel to what currently ranks as Statham’s highest-rated Rotten Tomatoes movie.

Growing up in the 2000s, I’ve followed Statham’s career from relative obscurity to global superstardom. After stealing the show in indie hits like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch, Statham has graduated to his more action-heavy persona. The Transporter, Mechanic, and Crank movies cemented Statham in my mind as the definitive 2000s action star, being much more prolific than many of his peers. This success, in no small part, stems from his ability to create sustainable action franchises. However, while his appetite for sequels has been demonstrated over and over again, Statham’s “best” movie, disappointingly, remains a standalone.

Spy Is Jason Statham’s Highest-Rated Movie

It Holds 95% On Rotten Tomatoes

Released in 2015, Spy remains unsurpassed as the highest-rated movie in Jason Statham’s career. The Paul Feig-directed action-comedy sees Statham take on a supporting comic role – at odds with his usual gruff and stoic leading men. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, and Rose Byrne, the movie is an irreverent take on franchises like Mission: Impossible and James Bond, pitting an unorthodox field agent (McCarthy) against a global terrorist threat. With a 95% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, Spy remains the critical pinnacle of Statham’s career to date.

Despite enjoying many of Statham’s more traditional action movie roles, I found Spy to be a welcome evolution for the actor. Whereas some Statham characters can tip into parodical self-seriousness, his performance as Rick Ford was wry, completely unpretentious, and genuinely hilarious. Even though he was a supporting presence in the story, he was a vital component in making the narrative work, offering effective comic relief and proving an excellent foil for McCarthy. And yet, despite Statham’s impressive performance and the film’s overall success, Spy remains a relatively rare successful Statham action movie that has not received a sequel.

Spy Was The Perfect Launchpad For A Franchise

The Story Set The Stage For A Follow-Up

It’s not just the fact that Spy is, from a critical perspective at least, Jason Statham’s best movie that makes the lack of a sequel so disappointing. Narratively, the movie laid the perfect groundwork for a series of films set in the same universe. Not only did Spy establish Melissa McCarthy’s Susan Cooper as a likable and original protagonist, but the movie explored a budding relationship between Cooper and Rick Ford, set up multiple compelling characters like Aldo and Rayna Boyanov, and even teased the prospect of a follow-up mission in Prague. These components constitute the perfect foundations for a Spy sequel.

The strength of the story and individual characters is one thing. A potentially even more compelling argument is how successful the first film was financially. In addition to achieving positive critical recognition, Spy made $235 million against a $65 million budget, making it an undeniable financial success. Taking both the story and unlying financial solidity into account, I find it difficult to understand why Spy 2 remains nothing more than a hypothetical possibility, rather than Jason Statham’s next great action franchise.

Spy 2 Could Take Statham’s Career In An Exciting New Direction

It’s The Perfect Way For Him To Expand

Even though I’m a huge admirer of Statham’s, there’s no denying that many of his movies follow a set formula. It’s highly likely that any Statham vehicle will feature a stoic, serious protagonist, pulling off improbably physical feats as he overcomes wave after wave of unfortunate bad guys. While the details of the story can change, this template is evident in projects ranging from 2024’s highly successful The Beekeeper to underappreciated Statham movies like Homefront.

Spy, on the other hand, promised an exciting potential new direction for Statham. Although his character, the grizzled agent Rick Ford was as archetypally masculine as many Statham creations, he was mainly there to offer comic relief. In my opinion, Ford remains one of Statham’s funniest ever characters, demonstrating the actor’s ability to laugh at himself and poke fun at the stereotypes he has helped perpetuate – a trait that hasn’t always been obvious in his career.

It’s also important to note that Ford allowed Statham to shine as a supporting character, rather than carrying the weight of a movie or franchise on his shoulders. Except for ensemble projects like Fast & Furious and The Expendables, Statham is often the indisputable lead in most of his projects. While this gives his movies a distinctive flavor, it also highlights some of his dramatic limitations.

With Spy, Statham could take his foot off the gas. In the original movie, he delivered a genuinely funny performance, free from the pressure of projecting his usual tough-guy image. This approach helped make the movie one of his best roles, even for a long-term Statham fan like myself – highlighting that there are many more strings to his bow than his typical roles might suggest.

Why Spy 2 Hasn’t Happened Yet

Hopes Are Still High For A Sequel

Given the movie’s popularity among critics and movie-goers, it’s surprising that there has been no Spy sequel as of 2024. By most metrics, any movie that nearly quadrupled its budget at the box office and received rave reviews would be considered a shoo-in for a follow-up, and certainly many more mediocre action projects have received sequels in the meantime. However, even though I (and likely many others) remain eager to see a follow-up, there are reasons why Spy 2 remains on the backburner.

After the first film’s successful release, director Paul Feig began almost immediate work on a follow-up, confirming that he was writing a sequel in late 2015 (via The Guardian). Feig reiterated his enthusiasm in 2016, telling Empire Online (via Dark Horizons):

“(Spy)’s another world that I don’t want to walk away from. It’s the first thing I did that I set up to be a possible franchise and Melissa is dying to do it. I have a story for it, and a funny idea that will kick it off that involves Statham. … Susan Cooper is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever come up with, but Rick Ford is possibly the one I’ll take to the grave with me. Will he get any more self-aware in the sequel? No, god no. He’ll get less self-aware.”

However, despite these positive noises, progress on Spy 2 has stalled. In 2019, Feig admitted to Total Film that “there hasn’t been interest in the studio” in the project. The strength of the characters, potential story, and success of the first movie means that I remain hopeful about finally seeing a Spy sequel. However, as exciting as it would be, it’s obvious that the franchise’s potential future is far from straightforward.

Sources: The Guardian, Empire Online, Total Film.