While no one has been particularly asking for it, Jason Statham has stuck by "Viva La Madness" through years in development. Based on author J.J. Connolly‘s book sequel to his own "Layer Cake," which was turned into the 2004 film that marked a breakthrough for director Matthew Vaughn and star Daniel Craig, the project has been kicking around for a while now, with Statham promising the movie would get made. Well, that’s not happening, but the project is taking a different shape.
Variety reports that Statham will star and executive produce a TV series based on the material, with Gaumont ("Hannibal," "Narcos") producing. The story will find the criminal protagonist idling in the Caribbean before returning to London to get back to the life he knows so well, teaming with a couple of gangsters to get back to work.
“The way J.J. writes is so on the ball and authentic, it’s hard to let any of it go. Trying to lose characters or shave down scenes every other page didn’t work, we wanted it all. The best place was a 10-hour-plus show that lets you fully disappear into Connolly’s world,” Statham said.
So, the actor in a small-screen crime series? It actually sounds like a great fit, and it sounds like a character who can easily expand beyond the confines of the source material. Thoughts? Would you tune in to Statham every week? Let us know below.
