Parks and Recreationstar and cooky comedienne Aubrey Plaza is joining action star Jason Statham in director Guy Ritchie’s next picture. Produced and financed by Miramax with STX handling distribution, the movie was previously titledFive Eyesbut is currently untitled.
The thriller findsJason Stathamin typical gruff-talking, action hero territory as the superbly named Orson Fortune, an MI6 guns-and-steel agent who is “recruited by a global intelligence alliance to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with a CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity, and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.” Whether the character names have been ditched along with the title is unknown, but if Statham’s character is not named either Orson Fortune or something equally brilliant we shall consider it a cinematic crime.
The “CIA high-tech expert” was previously named Sarah Fidel, and so it is likely that this is the part that Plaza will be playing in the movie. The movie sounds like the perfect combination of odd-couple banter and explosive, fist-throwing action that should be perfectly suited to Plaza and Statham.
Best known for her roles in the sitcomParks and Recreation,Aubrey Plazahas proven her unique comedic talents time and again in lesser known, more eccentric movies such asSafety Not Guaranteed,Ingrid Goes Westas well as more mainstream fare likeDirty GrandpaandMike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. Plaza has recently been trending on social media thanks her scene-stealing performance in Hulu’s romantic comedyHappiest Season, in which she stars alongside Kristen Stewart, Dan Levy, and Mackenzie Davis.
Statham meanwhile has been flying the flag forold school, no-nonsense, testosterone-fuelled action moviesfor years now, and has become one of Hollywood’s most valuable action stars. Statham’s roles in the likes ofCrankandThe Transporterfranchise have led to the actor being given bigger budgets with which to ply his trade, with Statham most recently facing off against a giant shark inThe Meg, before taking on an equally intimidating behemoth in the shape of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is theFast and Furiousspin-off,Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
The Statham/Plaza untitled action flick is being directed and produced byGuy Ritchiefrom a screenplay written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, who penned Ritchie’s last movie, the action comedyThe Gentlemenstarring Matthew McConaughey.
Ritchie and Statham launched their careers together with the crime comedy caperLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrelsbefore following this up with the similarly themedSnatch. Since then, the filmmaker has become known for an array of movies across various genres ranging fromSherlocktoKing Arthur: Legend of the Swordto the recent live action Disney remake ofAladdin. It will certainly be interesting to see what Ritchie can bring to the action genre with the talents of Statham and Plaza at his side. This comes to us courtesy ofDeadline.
