When it comes to action stars in the 21st century, few are as prolific and reliable as Jason Statham. A man of many talents, the former French Connection model has appeared in countless action films and been part of several notable franchises. Next January, a month now becoming synonymous with the British badass, Statham will return to the role of Adam Clay in The Beekeeper 2, following up on the hugely successful, adrenaline-fueled 2024 actioner The Beekeeper.
Now under director Timo Tjahjanto instead of David Ayer, Statham’s sequel to The Beekeeper is one that fans demanded as soon as the original had debuted. But it is far from the actor’s only action film that millions would love to see return. Another that has long been the subject of whispered rumors isCrank, the 2006 action thriller that marked the directorial debuts of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Followed in 2009 by Crank: High Voltage, the early 2010s were rife with rumors of a third movie in the franchise, hoping that Statham and co-star Amy Smart would return.
Alas, a third Crank of the wheel has yet to materialize, much to the dismay of the many modern admirers of this action cult classic. Thankfully, it is currently streaming for free. But could we see a Crank threequel sometime in the future? Well, as much as Smart would love to join Statham for more violent chaos, it seems unlikely, according to the actor herself. In a conversation with Collider’s Maggie Lovitt at the recent Indiana Comic Convention, Smart said when asked about the rumors of Crank 3: “I remember hearing that too, and then it kind of died. I didn’t hear anything more.” She added:
“That was wild, such a wild film. I love where Eve goes in the sequel; she’s like stripping now, with a heart of gold. It was fun. Jason’s so professional, he’s such a badass, and he’s so nice. He was always looking out for me and making sure I was comfortable doing my stunts, too.”
Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
Rambo
James Bond
Indiana Jones
John McClane
Ethan Hunt
01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
10
It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
Rambo
Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
Was ‘Crank’ a Box Office Hit?
Crank received fairly positive reviews from critics at the time of its release, but could it prove popular enough with audiences to return financial success? The answer is yes, although not with much fanfare, as the movie only returned $44 million at the global box office, split between a domestic haul of $28 million and a further $16 million from overseas markets. How was it a success? The film reportedly had a $12 million production budget, which was nearly doubled for the sequel, which fared much worse in theaters.
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