The Beekeeper 2: Jason Statham's action franchise just got a thrilling update

The Beekeeper was one of the surprise hits of 2024. The action flick, which starred Jason Statham and was directed by David Ayer, managed to pull it a whopping $152 million on a budget of only $40 million. Needless to say, Amazon MGM Studios saw the potential in turning Statham's bee-friendly outing into an entire franchise.

Most fans could have guessed that The Beekeeper 2 was going to become a reality. What some may not have guessed, however, is how quickly Amazon MGM Studios managed to get the sequel off the ground. The Cinemaholic reported that The Beekeeper 2 will start production in Los Angeles in January 2025.

The Beekeeper 2 stars production in January

For context, The first Beekeeper film premiered in January 2024, meaning the studio have managed to bring the cast and crew back together for an action blockbuster in less than one year! David Ayer and Jason Statham are returning as director and star, and the latter has even expressed a desire to expand the mythos of the first film in future installments.

Ayer was already eager to return to the world of The Beekeeper during the press tour for the first film. He told Variety that fans only saw a "crack in the door" in terms of the history between its characters:

"Everybody wants to know more... There are so many threads to unpack of what happened and why it happened. So I think it lends itself to be a great, fun franchise."

David Ayer and Statham are eager to return

Ayer also teased the possibility of more bee puns, and potentially even a larger insect-based universe of action heroes. Though he was admittedly sarcastic about the latter. He even made reference to the Bee Movie that was helmed by Jerry Seinfeld in 2007.

"That's pretty tempting," the director quipped. "I've gotta call Jerry Seinfeld and see what he wants to do. It would be a good combo." Before The Beekeeper 2, though, Ayer and Statham will reunite for the action film Levon's Trade, which is produced by Sylvester Stallone and is set to premiere on January 17.