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Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham Reunite for Action Thriller 'Wrath of Man'

Jason Statham. (AP)
Jason Statham. (AP)
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Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham Reunite for Action Thriller 'Wrath of Man'

Jason Statham. (AP)
Jason Statham. (AP)

All it took was a two-minute phone call to pitch the idea for his new film “Wrath of Man” and British director Guy Ritchie was back working with action star Jason Statham after some 15 years.

The dark thriller sees Statham play “H”, a mysterious loner who takes up a job at a security firm whose armored vehicles transporting valuables have recently been the target of deadly armed robberies.

With the attacks continuing, it soon transpires “H” is not after a steady paycheck but rather a skilled marksman seeking revenge for a personal tragedy.

Statham was working as a model when Ritchie first cast him in his 1998 movie “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, helping him launch his film career. The two went on to collaborate on the 2000 movie “Snatch” and reunited again in 2005 for their last joint project “Revolver”.

Fast forward 16 years, and very little has changed between the two friends, Statham said.

“The only difference is we’re a little older and a little chubbier ... He called me up about this idea that he had. It was a very short pitch and I liked the premise. And I was quick to say ‘yes’,” Statham told Reuters.

“I thought this would be the perfect story for Jason and I to be reunited on. It’s not funny, this film. It’s serious and the theme is serious and it’s very violent, very aggressive. But I thought it’d be the perfect role for Jason to occupy,” Ritchie added.

For the movie, based on the 2004 French thriller “Le Convoyeur”, Ritchie enlisted an ensemble cast including Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Andy Garcia, Eddie Marsan and Holt McCallany. He also hired US rapper Post Malone for a surprise cameo.

Hartnett, a former Hollywood heartthrob who appeared in early 2000s hits “Pearl Harbor”, “Black Hawk Down” and “Lucky Number Slevin”, said he had quietly been keeping busy with other projects in recent years.

“I’ve always been sort of making really interesting films. It’s just suddenly Hollywood is taking notice again and I’m getting offers for bigger films,” he said. “It goes in waves. Hollywood’s a weird place and I love it and hate it.”

“Wrath of Man” opens in US cinemas on May 7.

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Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Roars to Top of US, Canada Box Office

Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
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Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Roars to Top of US, Canada Box Office

Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Cast member Brad Pitt attends the "F1: The Movie" European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters)

Apple's high-octane racing film "F1: The Movie" roared to the top of the US and Canadian box office this weekend, fueled by star-power and a finely-tuned marketing campaign, according to Comscore.

The movie, which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 racer who returns to the track after an accident nearly ends his career, brought in $55.6 million in ticket sales in the two countries. That tally edged past the $45 million to $55 million pre-weekend domestic forecast from the Boxoffice Company.

Worldwide receipts topped $88 million, propelled by the sport's strong fan base in Europe and Latin America.

Racing films typically sputter in theaters, according to Daniel Loria, senior vice president of the Boxoffice Company, a theatrical ecommerce and data services firm. The most successful of the genre, the widely acclaimed "Ford v Ferrari," opened to a modest $31 million in November 2019.

"We haven't had that many movies about car racing that have broken through," Loria said. One notable outlier is the "Fast & Furious" action series that expanded beyond its street racing roots to include heists, espionage and an improbable moon shot.

"F1" had several factors weighing in its favor, helping to broaden its appeal beyond racing enthusiasts. The film's director, Joseph Kosinski, brought the same high-intensity cinematic treatment of Formula 1 racing that he lent to the fighter jet sequences in his 2022 movie, "Top Gun: Maverick." Moviegoers who were polled by CinemaScore gave F1 an A rating, signaling their approval.

Netflix's "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" series helped fuel the popularity of Formula 1 racing, particularly in the US Apple also put marketing muscle behind its movie, an Apple Original Films production that Variety reported cost in excess of $200 million to make.

The tech giant touted "F1" during CEO Tim Cook's keynote address at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference and offered a movie discount to iPhone users. Apple Music also amplified the film's soundtrack.

Warner Bros, which marketed and distributed the movie, developed a bespoke campaign that emphasized the participation of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in Europe and Latin America, while focusing on Pitt in the US.

"It's very much like a perfectly coordinated pit crew in a race," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore, an information and analytics company. "They shot this thing off the starting line with great success."

"F1" represents the biggest opening weekend for Apple, whose previous cinematic efforts, such as director Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," garnered critical acclaim but achieved modest results at the box office.

"The film's outstanding debut reflects both the excitement of Formula 1 and the deeply emotional and entertaining story crafted by the entire cast and creative team," Zack Van Amburg, Apple's head of worldwide video, said in a statement.