A new trailer and poster have been released for Redemption (known as “Hummingbird” overseas).  The film stars Jason Statham as an ex-special forces soldier who winds up homeless after going on the run from a court marshal. Joey then steals another man’s identity, and befriends a nun (Agata Buzek).  As we saw in the previous trailer, this is a more dramatic role for Statham, but the action beats are still there.  This leaves me wondering if Statham has even done a movie where he doesn’t hit somebody.  If so, Statham should make a family film.  I would see Cheaper by the Dozen 3 if it starred Jason Statham.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.

This morning we’ve got a set photo round-up for your viewing pleasure:

• Need for Speed – The adaptation of the popular video game series is going to have some absolutely sick cars.  Even the sheriff has a sweet ride.  The film opens March 14, 2014 and stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Kid Cudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malik, Harrison Gilbertson, and Michael Keaton.
• Heat – The story enters on Nick Escalante (Jason Statham), a compulsive gambler on the streets of Vegas who takes odd jobs providing “security” to support his addiction.  The film also stars Sofia Vergara and Michael Angarano.
• Untitled Abscam Movie – David O. Russell’s film is based a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the late 70s-early 80s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Rohm, Alessandro Nivola, and Louis CK.  The film opens December 13th.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.

A trailer has been released for Steven Knight‘s Hummingbird.  The film stars Jason Statham as “Joey, ex-special forces soldier who winds up homeless after going on the run from a court marshal. Joey then steals another man’s identity and befriends a nun (Agata Buzek).”  It’s become increasingly easy to write off Statham’s movies because he basically plays the same character: The Guy You Don’t Hunt or Betray or Else He’ll Kick Your Ass.  However, this trailer for Hummingbird looks surprisingly dramatic, and while I can’t help but giggle at Statham’s long-hair wig, Knight’s film could be a more than welcome change of pace for the actor.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Hummingbird opens in the UK on May 17th.

After three relatively strong frames, a January chill has hit the box office. Three new titles opened nationwide but only one managed to top $10 million: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with an estimated $19 million from 3,372 locations. That was good enough for first place and higher than Friday’s results suggested, but it was not high enough to put a positive spin on the weekend.

Nearly a year after it was first scheduled to hit theatres, Paramount’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is poised to take first place at the weekend box office. The R-rated fantasy starring Jeremy Renner earned an estimated $6 million from its 3,372 locations on Friday, suggesting a three-day total of $15 million. That’s $5 million short of studio expectations; but it’s not bad for a film with a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fellow-newcomer Movie 43 claimed a 6% RT rank and see what happened? On Friday, the collection of comedy shorts earned $1.8 million from 2,023 locations and is looking at a weekend of just $5 million. FilmDistrict’s Parker, the last of the R-rated newcomers, saw an opening of $2.1 million from 2,224 locations. The action movie could get as high as $6 million by Sunday: an opening that would fall below both Killer Elite and Safe on the list of Jason Statham’s recent disappointments. Check back tomorrow for full results.

Opening this weekend is director Taylor Hackford’s (Ray) Parker.  Based on the novel Flashfire by Donald E. Westlake (published under the pseudonym Richard Stark) the crime thriller stars Jason Statham as the title character, a professional thief with a strict personal code of ethics.  Parker doesn’t steal from people who can’t afford it, he doesn’t hurt people who don’t deserve it, and if you break his rules he will hunt you down and make you pay.  When his team double crosses him on the job and leaves him for dead he tracks them to Palm Beach with a mission for vengeance.  The film also stars Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Nick Nolte, Clifton Collins, Wendell Pierce and Micah Hauptman.

During the recent Los Angeles press day I got to talk with Statham.  He talked about Hackford’s approach to the action genre, what it took to pull off the stunts, what kind of movie he’d like to make in the future, stepping into the role of producer on Heat, whether he’ll ever direct a film, and more.  In addition, we got updates on Crank 3, Homeland and Hummingbird.  Check out the full interview after the jump.

Jason Statham teams up with Jennifer Lopez in the new crime thriller Parker set amidst the unparalleled wealth and glamor of Palm Beach and based on the crime novel Flashfire by Richard Stark, one of the many pseudonyms of Donald E. Westlake, the prolific crime fiction author.  The most daring, meticulous and ruthless thief in the business, Parker (Statham) is an expert at planning and executing seemingly impossible heists and he plays by a strong code of ethics.  Opening January 25^th, the film is directed by Academy Award winner Taylor Hackford and features a terrific cast that also includes Michael Chiklis, Clifton Collins, Jr., Micah Hauptman, Wendell Pierce, Patti Lupone and Nick Nolte.

At a roundtable interview at the film’s recent press day, Statham talked about playing the iconic title character of Westlake’s popular series of crime novels, collaborating with Hackford on his first action film, performing some of the film’s carefully choreographed and incredibly intense stunt sequences, and working opposite Lopez and veteran actors Lupone and Nolte.  He also updated us on Homefront written by Sylvester Stallone and rumors that Jackie Chan may be joining him in The Expendables 3. Hit the jump to read more:

In celebration of Taylor Hackford’s Parker opening in theaters soon, the Playboy Mansion hosted a special screening of the action adaptation starring Jason Statham as the titular thief with a code.  Also in attendance were the finalists of the “Art of the Heist” competition, whose submissions were on display for everyone to see.  After an extensive behind-the-scenes tour of the mansion, the winner of the competition was announced and the partygoers were treated to an early screening of Parker.  We’d love to show you everything that went down, but since some of it wasn’t exactly legal…

Also starring Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Clifton Collins Jr., Wendell Pierce and Bobby Cannavale, Parker opens on January 25th.  Hit the jump to check out images from the event, including Miss April/May/September 2012 and a video from the winner of the art competition.

Sheila spoke to the cast of Parker at roundtable interviews today.  We will have the full interviews for you soon, but we want to pass along what Jason Statham had to say about The Expendables 3 and Homefront.  Statham has only heard rumors about the Expendables sequel, but he too likes the one about Jackie Chan joining the cast: “[Chan has] broken every bone in his body for his commitment and dedication to doing his own stunts. So he’s the real deal.”  Statham is open to all potential newcomers—including Nicolas Cage—and mentions, “I like Clint Eastwood as well.”

Statham was honored when Stallone brought Homefront, a script that Stallone wrote intending to star, to Statham and offered the lead role: “He adapted it to suit me.  It was like a tailor-made suit and Sly did all the sewing.  Fantastic!”  Hit the jump for the full quotes.

Director Taylor Hackford’s crime thriller Parker is due in January, but this new behind-the-scenes featurette and image collection will give you a sneak peek. Parker stars Jason Statham as the title character, a modern-day Robin Hood who is double-crossed by his crew, and Jennifer Lopez as a novice who wants in on the action. You can check out this recent trailer for Parker here and see a lot more footage in the new featurette.

The film also stars Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce and Nick Nolte.  Parker opens on January 25th, 2013. Hit the jump to check out the featurette and images.

Fans of the original action hero mash-up The Expendables are in for higher stakes, twice the explosions and more grizzled cast members in The Expendables 2, now available on Blu-ray. While the sequel managed to top the experience of the first film, the Blu-ray has plenty of extras to keep fans busy, including a commentary track by director Simon West (Con Air) that provides a lot of behind-the-scenes info. Want to know what weapons the Expendables used? Want to know how much bigger the sequel could have been? Want to see the real life Expendables the movie characters referenced? Well then hit the jump for my review of The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray. 

We previously announced that action star Jason Statham (The Transporter) would be starring in Heat, and it looks like director Simon West (Con Air) is also on board.  Around the time of Statham’s attachment, Brian De Palma (Scarface) was expected to direct, but now the remake looks to pair West and Statham once again; the director/actor duo have previously worked on The Mechanic and The Expendables 2.  When next they meet, it will be for Heat, a remake of the 1986 film starring Burt Reynolds as a bodyguard taking odd jobs to support his gambling addiction in Vegas.  Hit the jump to see how West and Statham plan on putting a modern spin on the film.

The first trailer for director Taylor Hackford’s (Ray) crime thriller Parker has been released.  Based on the novel series by Donald E. Westlake, the film stars Jason Statham as a professional thief who lives by a set of rules: don’t steal from people who can’t afford it and don’t hurt people who don’t deserve it.  When his crew double crosses him and leaves him for dead, he sets out to seek revenge during their biggest heist ever.  The pic is a slight departure from Statham’s standard shoot-em-up action fare, but this trailer still has its share of clichés.  Moreover, Statham inexplicably plays a lot of dress-up for his heists, disguising himself as a priest and as a rich Texan (with a terrible accent).  If you’re a fan of Statham and his films, this is probably right up your alley.  If not, Parker looks unlikely to change your mind.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, and Nick Nolte.  Parker opens on January 25th, 2013.

Here’s a list of the new posters we have to share with you today:

• Argo, from director and star Ben Affleck, and featuring co-star Bryan Cranston.  This new poster comes in addition to the previous character posters we put up earlier.  Argo opens October 12th.
• Rise of the Guardians, an animated film and feature debut from director Peter Ramsey showcases the voices of Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law and opens November 21st.
• A UK poster for The Sessions, Ben Lewin’s drama starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy.  The Sessions opens October 19th.
• Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama bin Laden assassination pic, Zero Dark Thirty, stars Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton and opens December 19th.
• Michael J. Gallagher’s horror-thriller Smiley stars Caitlin Gerard, Melanie Papalia and Shane Dawson and opens October 12th.
• Finally, Parker, starring Jason Statham as a thief with a code of honor, also stars Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis and Nick Nolte.  Parker opens January 25th of 2013.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and synopses.

The idea of a Jason Statham film is often better than thing itself. Statham is one of the few working action stars, and that means he churns out a film or two a year that tend to be low budget with an international cast and setting to better maximize their worldwide value. Safe is easily one of his best films and delivers a solid action movie with a good story and enjoyable action sequences. Our review of Safe on Blu-ray follows after the jump.