Jason Statham stars inA Working Man, and the new action movie means he’s accomplished something Sylvester Stallone couldn’t. Headlining an action movie of any kind is familiar territory for Statham. He’s made an entire career out of playing protagonists and antagonists in various high-octane films. He’s done major franchises likeFast & FuriousandThe Expendables, and he’s also turned the likes ofTransporter,Crank,The Mechanic, and more into multi-movie stories. Some are original works, while others are based on books, withA Working Manbeing the latter.
A Working Manputs Jason Statham in the lead role of Levon Cade, a retired military veteran who is pulled back into the life of action and heroism to save a kidnapped girl. The movie is an adaptation of the Chuck Dixon novel “Levon’s Trade.” The original book was released in 2014 and launched a series that currently includes 11 installments from the author. That positionsA Working Manas a potential franchisefor Statham by using the source material.A Working Manhits theaters11 years after “Levon’s Trade” debuted, but Statham wasn’t the first to try adapting it.
Sylvester Stallone Tried & Failed To Make A Levon’s Trade TV Show Before Jason Statham’s Movie
Long before Jason Statham became attached to star inA Working Man, Hollywood’s first attempt to adapt “Levon’s Trade” came with Sylvester Stallone. He and his production company, Balboa Productions, acquired the rights to Chuck Dixon’s first book in the Levon Cade series. Instead of developing it as a movie and starring vehicle for Stallone,the plan was for aLevon’s TradeTV show to be made. The news first surfaced in 2018, one year after Balboa Productions launched, but nothing ever came from the announcement.
Jason Statham’s Upcoming Action Movie May Have Already Replaced The Franchise He Started Last Year
Jason Statham is back with a new action movie, and A Working Man may have actually already replaced another franchise he started just last year.
It’s unclear why theLevon’s Tradeseries Balboa Productions developed never came to pass. No writer was ever hired publicly, nor did any studio join the development with hopes of releasing it.The fate ofLevon’s Tradechanged in 2023 when it was announced that a movie adaptation was in the works. David Ayer was attached to direct, while Jason Statham was announced as the star. The movie, which changed its title toA Working Manduring development, was acquired by Amazon MGM and moved smoothly through production afterward.
Sylvester Stallone Is Still Involved In Jason Statham’s A Working Man
He’s Not In The Movie, Though
Sylvester Stallone missed out on his chance to make aLevon’s TradeTV show, but he didn’t fully fail at bringing Chuck Dixon’s novel to life.Sylvester Stallone’s role inA Working Manis as the co-writer with David Ayer. Stallone wrote the initial screenplay for the movie, which helped Ayer and Statham commit to the project.Stallone is also involved withA Working Manas a producer, as Balboa Productions remained attached to the project even after it shifted from a TV show to a movie.
There’s a chance thatA Working Manmay have never happened if it wasn’t for Sylvester Stallone’s initial interest in developing Chuck Dixon’s book as a TV show. While that project didn’t materialize, Jason Statham helped bring the Levon Cade character to life and introduce him to a broader audience. As a result, he’s done withA Working Manwhat Sylvester Stallone couldn’t with his initialLevon’s Tradeadaptation plan.
