Does Jason Statham really appear to be someone that could play the character of James Bond? Well, yes and no to be honest. The resounding yes that one might get from a lot of people is because not only does he already have the accent, but he’s an action star and is therefore used to the action scenes that would be needed. Statham has been in some of the biggest action movies around over the course of his career, so it’s not difficult at all to see him taking on the position of the super-spy that has captivated a legion of fans. But where it might not work is that as refined of a character as he’s played in the past, Frank from The Transporter is in his own movie, his surly attitude doesn’t really appear to be the essence of James Bond, and the fact is that Statham plays this type of character quite often. He’s usually dour or at the very least a bit too reserved to really be considered smooth or suave enough to play someone like Bond, but it might be an interesting challenge at the very least. Plus, a lot of times Statham does look like someone that’s about to get into a brawl rather than someone that will saunter up to the bar and order a martini. In other words, he’s an action star, but not THAT type of action star.
That might feel as though I’m splitting hairs in a very brusque manner, but the truth of it is that if one watches a lot of Statham’s movies they’ll see that as much of an action star as he is, he’s never really shown any consistency with the finesse that he can bring to a role. He’s the gruff individual, the one that has plenty of dark secrets in his past, and is also the kind of guy that stays alone or keeps to himself for reasons that the audience finds out at one point or another. Statham has been playing into the typecasting for a while and there are really only a few roles in which he’s not the type of character that’s bound to kick the hell out of a group of guys for one reason other another. Some might say that this would make him perfect to play Bond since his past is a haunted one and he’s exceptionally skilled in various forms of combat and is an expert stunt driver that can blow numerous other people off the road. But seriously, for all that he’s done in the movies and the espionage that he’s undergone as one character or another, he’s the blunt instrument with the razor-sharp edge that’s built for demolition, not for the covert type of work that James Bond is known for. There’s no doubt that he could be in a Bond movie as a villain or a fellow spy that might help Bond out, but becoming the actual character doesn’t sound like a great idea.
This is could be why we don’t see his name included in a lot of lists that have to do with who can take on the mantle of Bond next. He might be a great villain since he would be someone that’s insanely hard to beat, as some of the best Bond villains have been over the years. In fact, that might actually be the best way to introduce him to the Bond story since he could be someone that would utterly ruthless in a way that Bond has only seen in a few of the villains that have graced the movies. While he might not have the look or the overall manner of Bond, he could be one of the most vicious villains to ever come along and challenge 007 in the history of the franchise. What would be even greater would be if Deckard Shaw could be busted out and pitted against Bond since it feels as though the super-spy might have his or her hands full if they had to deal with such an explosive individual. Of course, that’s not bound to happen since crossing franchises in this manner is something that would take more than a monumental effort, it would take an act of God no doubt to make it happen since the rights and the ability to bring it all together would probably be something that would never be able to be ironed out. It’s fun to think about though since Shaw might actually hand Bond a momentary loss simply because he is so insanely ruthless when he’s going after something or someone.
In some world, it might make sense to turn Jason Statham into Jame Bond, but in this one, it feels as though it would be like putting Chuck Norris in the role of Ethan Hunt, it was possible at one time but it’s not a good fit.
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