Jason Statham Gets Involved With London Gangsters

Jason Statham will star in his first TV appearance in a television drama called Viva La Madness.

As reported by Variety, Statham is set to executive produce the show which is from Gaumont International Television. The project is based off of a book by J.J. Connolly, who is slated to write the series.

As alluded to by Statham, the project was originally meant to be made into a film, however, Jason said they wanted to go more in depth into the material than a feature could cover. Jason explained that they wanted every detail from the book to be played out.

“The way J.J. writes is so on the ball and authentic, it’s hard to let any of it go. Trying to lose characters or shave down scenes every other page didn’t work, we wanted it all. The best place was a 10 hour-plus show that lets you fully disappear into Connolly’s world.”

Jason is obviously a fan of Connolly’s work, which includes the novel Layer Cake, which serves as the prequel to the story. Layer Cake was made into a move in 2004, but starred Daniel Craig instead of Statham.

The CEO of Gaumont, Katie O’Connell Marsh, talked a little about the novel, Viva La Madness, and what audiences should expect from the Statham project.

“Viva La Madness, with its riveting characters and twisting storyline, is a volatile cocktail of action and comedy that only J.J. Connolly can create.”

The series is about an ex-criminal who is confined to the Caribbean, and presumably played by Jason, though he wishes to return to his home and his old ways. This isn’t possible because he is wanted by the law back home. The ex-criminal winds up being in cahoots with two gangsters from London, who are called Sonny King and Roy “Twitchy” Burns.

Marsh had a few words to say about Jason Statham. She talked about the depth Statham brings to his characters and the dynamic he shows on screen.

“Jason Statham, known for his roles in the Transporter trilogy, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, The Bank Job, as well as the recent Furious 7 and Spy, brings such strength and credibility to his characters but also has an effortless shade of vulnerability that gives him so much dimension on screen.”

From the description of the show, and knowing the filmography of Jason, it seem that we can expect an action packed television show that is sure to thrill. Statham has proven his worth when it comes to action-thriller roles.

As far as the writing goes, it’s in good hands with J.J. Connolly. Executive producer Steven Chasman elaborates on Connolly’s style and more of what to expect from the project.

“Viva La Madness is filled with J.J. Connolly’s trademark dark humor, razor-sharp dialogue, and quick-fire violence.”

No networks are connected with Viva La Madness yet, but with Jason Statham involved, we can expect good things.

[Photo Courtesy of Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]