Jason Statham is reportedly circling the thriller Echelon.  The project will mark the directing debut of stunt coordinator Simon Crane.  As you may recall, Crane was originally set to direct the adaptation of Kane & Lynch, but dropped off the project.  According to Deadline, the film is based off novel Firewall and would have Statham playing “Nick Stone, an SAS soldier who finds himself caught between the Russian Mafia and western secret agents trying to get their hands on the Echelon computer program.”  Presumably the role requires lots of punching, kicking, shooting, and growling in a menacing-yet-charming brogue.  Firewall is the 3rd book in a 13-book series by former SAS soldier Andy McNab, so if the movie is successful, Statham could be looking at a potential franchise.

With twelve novels already in print and a thirteenth on the way in October, there is plenty of source material to launch a Bond-like cinematic series centered around ex-SAS agent Nick Stone.  According to Pajiba, Hyde Park Entertainment believes that Eric Bana (Star Trek) just might be the man for the job.  The studio acquired the rights to the ongoing series back in March, and Bana is reportedly the leading contender to play the fictional spy in the first entry, entitled Echelon. More after the jump: