Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie are back at it. The longtime collaborators are reuniting for a new action-thriller called 'Viva La Madness' that, on paper, sounds like a very them kind of project.
What is 'Viva La Madness'?
Per Variety, the film is adapted from J.J. Connolly's 2011 novel of the same name, which is the follow-up to his 2004 book 'Layer Cake.' If that title rings a bell, Matthew Vaughn directed the 'Layer Cake' movie back in the day, not Ritchie, so this is a new lane for Ritchie within that world.
The story centers on a London drug dealer known only as X and tracks his life through a tangle of sex, scams, drugs, and very dirty money. Plot specifics for the movie are otherwise being kept under wraps for now.
Standalone means standalone
Variety notes the film is being positioned as a one-off. Translation: they are not planning to spin this into a broader slate or expand into other Connolly adaptations. Honestly, kind of refreshing.
Who is doing what
Guy Ritchie is writing and directing. Jason Statham is on board and producing the film alongside Thomas Benski. No other casting has been announced yet, and there is no character info for Statham at this stage.
Production is aiming to start in January.
Ritchie and Statham, take six
This will be the sixth time Statham and Ritchie have teamed up. If you need a refresher on their track record:
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
- Snatch
- Revolver
- Wrath of Man
- Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
Statham back in Ritchie's crime sandbox feels like the right kind of chaos, and the 'Layer Cake' lineage gives it a sneaky-fun angle. Now we wait to see who else joins the party and whether Statham ends up playing X or someone gunning for him.