2024 Jason Statham vehicle The Beekeeper is getting a sequel with stellar director Timo Tjahjanto attached. The first entry in the journey of Adam Clay came from the mind of Suicide Squad‘s David Ayer. Deadline reports that Tjahjanto will take over the budding/buzzing franchise with returning screenwriter Kurt Wimmer. The change in behind-the-camera talent could dramatically change the impact of the follow-up feature. Those who skipped the first film could find something new in the second swarm.
Jason Statham Keeps Bees Again in Timo Tjahjanto’s Upcoming Sequel
The Beekeeper followed Jason Statham as Adam Clay, a beekeeper who loses a friend to a phishing scam. After that tragic event, Clay sets aside his love of insects to pursue justice. Turns out, Clay is both a keeper of bees and a Beekeeper, an agent of a secret organization who carries out impossible tasks. It’s a Statham action movie with an eye toward the illicit scammers who target the old and uninformed. Critics gave it a pass, granting the project a 71% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film earned over $150 million on a modest $40 million budget, all but guaranteeing a sequel. The Beekeeper 2 attempts to shift director David Ayer to a producer role. Timo Tjahjanto will take over the project with Statham still in the spotlight. Miramax will distribute the film, as they did the first entry.
Action fans know director Timo Tjahjanto for his Indonesian action/horror projects, many of which dropped onto Netflix. His early career saw him direct segments for anthologies like The ABCs of Death, but he quickly graduated to full-length features. His 2018 film, The Night Comes For Us, became an instant classic after its international release via Netflix. He followed that success with a more comedic project, The Big 4. His latest entry, The Shadow Strays, ranked in Netflix’s top ten across dozens of countries. Tjahjanto will also direct the sequel to the 2021 Bob Odenkirk actioner Nobody, with John Wick creator returning to write. He’s quickly becoming a go-to talent for action sequels, bringing his unique talents to existing franchises.
The Beekeeper 2 will begin shooting this fall with Tjahjanto at the helm and Statham in the lead role. The 57-year-old actor stays working, turning in another collaboration with Beekeeper director David Ayer this March. The Beekeeper 2 has Statham’s muscle and Tjahjanto’s gift for creative violence, so fans should keep their eyes on these bees.
