I think Killer Elite proved that it’s quite possible to grow tired of bland Jason Statham B-action movies, and that the actor is much better suited to bouncing off interesting casts or showing up in weird movies than turning into the second coming of Segal. The idea of Statham showing up in a Fast & Furious film is not as attractive in him showing up in more Crank films (as Evan Saathoff and I discussed on twitter), but it sound like more fun than something like The Mechanic by a profound margin. Bouncing off of folks like the Rock, Ludacris, and Vin Diesel? I’m having Turkish flashbacks that bring a smile to my face already. Fortunately, just such an arrangement has become a fully legitimate, genuine rumor crawling through the true-blue, authentic Hollywood grapevine.

The other interesting news coming from Twitch (who caught on to the Statham tip), is that the franchise may pack it up and hop over to Europe for a back-to-back shoot on Fast Six and Fast Seven. This has spelled disaster for franchises like The Matrix and Pirates when the dual shoots signaled the oncoming bloat of monstrous tentpole films. Fortunately I think the aspirations of this particular car series are a little more humble, and the dual shoot might be more grounded. Or perhaps things will get apocalyptic and we’ll see a death race at the edge of earth, whilst all of mankind is recranked like a giant engine. Or something.

It’s worth nothing that Lin couldn’t make the Terminator 5 schedule work, and a big honkin’ European action shoot is as good an explanation as any. Don’t read too far into that –never underestimate the impatience of an executive with a budget and a time limit– but it’s a possible consideration.

Regardless, these are simply rumors so keep an ear out but don’t cross your fingers too hard or too long, lest they snap right in half.

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(via JoBlo)