After spending years letting his fists, feet and a vast variety of weapons do the talking, it would seem Jason Statham is ready to switch genre tracks, entering negotiations to star in A Bucketful of Puppies for… No, can’t keep that going. He is, however, looking to cross into the noir genre with Parker, a new thriller being cooked up by Taylor Hackford.
The director will be working from a script by Black Swan co-writer John J McLaughlin, who adapted Donald Westlake’s book.
**Parker **follows a thief who regrets that at times his actions lead him to kill. But he lives by a certain code of honour, swearing never to take money from people who need it. And woe betide anyone who crosses him, as that leads to swift retribution.
So while it doesn’t exactly sound like Statham is breaking away from his usual carnage comfort zone, it might allow him to dig a little deeper into a character. And for Hackford, it’s a chance to stretch some muscles: "I don't want to get stuck in a genre," he tells Variety. "What I like the most about this piece of material is that you can take a genre piece like this and turn it into a great movie." That remains to be seen, TH.
There’s no word on a start date yet, but the movie’s backers will be looking for distribution deals at Cannes this year.