“It was a business decision”: Before Seemingly Abandoning Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs & Shaw, Jason Statham Cut Ties With Another $315M Franchise for Underpaying Him

Jason Statham’s introduction to the world as a bona fide action star came in 2002 when he portrayed Frank Martin, the enigmatic driver and action hero in The Transporter. While his career boasts an array of impressive films, one franchise that stands out in his filmography is the iconic Transporter series.

However, after playing the most badass courier in existence for three Transporter movies, Statham decided to pass on The Transporter 4. And he has a practical reason behind it.

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Jason Statham Explains Why He Left Successful Transporter Franchises

Jason Statham was approached to take part in The Transporter: Refueled. But he already decided to pass on reprising the role and cut ties with the $315 million franchise.

“You know what? It was obviously a great experience doing those films, and I would have loved to keep doing it. But they wanted me to sign on and do three more films without even seeing a script, and they offered me less money to do three than I’d get paid for one!” Statham told Vulture in an interview.

“So it was a business decision. I would have loved to have done it, but you can’t really sign on without doing a script, and to sign on for three of them? And to get paid a pittance? I just couldn’t see the value in that.”

After he refused to go for the reprise as Frank Martin, Ed Skrein took over the driving seat in The Transporter Refueled in 2015.

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There is Slim Chance of Jason Statham Appearing in Hobbs & Shaw 2

One of the standout additions to the Fast & Furious universe is Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off film that stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw.

One of the major aspects of Hobbs & Shaw is the undeniable chemistry between Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson. And, then there was news that they would go for Hobbs and Shaw 2. But Statham abandoned it and joined the mainstream Fast & Furious.

Now, for the Hobbs spinoff, it’s been in the news that Jason Momoa will be alongside Dwayne Johnson. Momoa was supposed to play the role of Mateo in Hobbs and Shaw. However, due to his busy schedule, he could not.

On an instagram post when a fan asked about Jason Momoa and why he wasn’t there, Dwayne Johnson replied in the comments:

“Yup me and Jason Momoa tried hard to get him in this movie to play my brother, but his schedule was too packed. Next Hobbs movie for sure.”

Hiram Garcia, from Seven Bucks Productions, confirmed (via TheWrap) that Hobbs & Shaw 2 is in active development: “We never like to announce anything like that prematurely… but we are writing the story.”

Currently, there are no specific casting details for Hobbs and Shaw 2. But seems like Statham is not a part of it.

Watch the Transporter franchise on Netflix.

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Source:  Vulture