'Fast and Furious' franchise gets its new villain
Top Talkers: Idris Elba joins Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham for 2019's spin-off 'Hobbs and Shaw.'
Jason Statham, recognizable for his action roles and stoic persona, is speaking out for the first time after a stuntman was critically injured while filming scenes for the upcoming “Fast & Furious 9.”
“It is awful. It’s an unpredictable science,” Statham told Extra during an interview in London. “You do every measure that you can to eliminate these things from happening. It’s just a real shame that accidents happen. It’s awful for the families when someone gets really hurt.”
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This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Jason Statham in a scene from the film, "The Meg." (Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP)
“Fast & Furious 9” stuntman Joe Watts suffered an intense fall on Monday while shooting in the United Kingdom.
The accident left Watts with a “serious head injury” and production was shut down at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios while paramedics and air ambulances were called, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The outlet reported the accident happened during a transition where Watts leaped from a balcony attached to a safety wire. The action man is “stable but in an induced coma,” THR reported Tuesday, citing a source.
Jason Statham with his long-time partner, supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. (Reuters)
Still, the “Italian Job” actor said a huge foundation for which his entire career has been built stems from the relationships he has formed with stunt people within the community and even performed many of his own daring maneuvers early in his acting career.
“On set, the stunt people are and have been for my whole career the best relationships I have and the most fun I have ever had on a set, always with the stunt guys,” Statham said. “I feel they are the unsung heroes in some ways. They put themselves out there to make other people look good without anything back.”
In this film publicity image released by Lionsgate Entertainment, from left, Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone and Randy Couture are shown in a scene from "The Expendables." (AP)
The “Expendables” star explained that in doing his own stunts, he and other stunt people have specific guidelines they abide by, both professionally and with what their personal limitations are.
“We are pretty smart about not putting ourselves in harm’s way. The studio for these big movies, they don’t want you to do anything,” said Statham. “It is just one of the risks that they don’t want you to take. When you do a small movie – I did ‘The Transporter,’ they couldn’t afford a stunt double, I did almost every little piece that I could do.”
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For “Hobbs & Shaw,” Statham and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson come together as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw in a buddy-film that’ll likely commence with an epic boss-fight against a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton Lore, played by Idris Elba.
“Hobbs & Shaw” is slated to hit theaters on August 2.
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