The brand new Jason Statham January motion film The Beekeeper is what it suggests on the tin: a tongue-in-cheek, bee-themed motion comedy the place Staths doles out punishment to any dangerous man who has the misfortune of buzzing his manner.
It’s basic Statham stuff, however it’s a unique type of undertaking for director David Ayer, greatest recognized for gritty crime dramas like Avenue Kings and Finish of Watch, and for 2016’s Suicide Squad. Ayer spoke with Polygon about working with Statham, his pleasure round taking over a unique type of style undertaking, and his favourite bee joke from a film that has a veritable hive of them.
Polygon: What first drew you to the undertaking?
David Ayer: I bought the script, Jason was hooked up. And the script had wonderful character, this actually fascinating plot construction that simply saved crescendoing. I learn quite a lot of scripts, and I already know what’s going to occur earlier than I flip the web page. And this one bought forward of me. So I knew there was one thing there. And it was a possibility to work with Jason, who I’ve at all times esteemed as an actor. Nice performer, nice bodily motion man, I feel he’s the very best. So the chance to construct a enjoyable, soulful film round him was a no brainer.
What was your collaboration with him like?
What I actually needed to perceive is, he virtually has this unstated contract with the viewers about how he performs and what he’s going to do, and what he doesn’t do, and the way he’s going to ship for them. I needed to study his language as an actor, after which do my greatest as a director to showcase that and elevate it. He’s actually regular and humble off-duty. He’s only a common man, and he’s type of quiet. However then on set, he’s A-plus-game all the best way, and calls for all people else brings their A-game.
I truly ended up studying loads about motion. I’ve shot quite a lot of motion, however I’ve discovered extra about motion from working with Jason Statham than all my different movies mixed.
Like what?
He has an encyclopedic data of cinematic motion. So you are able to do a bit of battle choreo, and he can inform you the place he’s seen that in one other film 20 years in the past. He is aware of physique kinetics, in the way it performs on digicam, higher than anyone I’ve ever met. And so he already is aware of if a punch goes to promote — he is aware of it instinctively.
So we’ll be on set. He’ll do his factor, and he’ll comprehend it’s to not his normal. And he’ll [say], “We’re going once more, we’re going once more,” and [I’m like], Sure, sir. And then you definately go and have a look at the monitor, and he is aware of when it’s proper with out trying on the monitor, which is a extremely uncommon present.
Second unit director Jeremy Marinas is likely one of the best possible. What was working with him like? What did he carry to the desk?
Jeremy is a good man. Bay Space child, only a whole martial arts, karate geek. From the 87eleven college of laborious knocks of stunt efficiency, he has this visible understanding of learn how to get the look and the choreography wanted on digicam.
It’s a tricky recreation now, as a result of the bar on motion is so excessive lately. You go watch a film 20 years in the past, and it’s like, Wow, I keep in mind that in another way. The viewers is so refined, and has such a complicated eye. You’re at all times attempting to exceed that. And with Jeremy, you’ll be able to see it. There’s quite a lot of motion. There’s quite a lot of fights, there’s quite a lot of stunts, and it’s progressive, it simply retains getting greater and higher as we go.
Which was the toughest motion sequence to execute?
I’d need to say the fuel station scene. We did it early within the schedule. And in any movie, you’re type of discovering your sea legs, and also you get higher day by day as you’re employed collectively. I didn’t have a lot time to shoot it in any respect. So it was, OK, how do I creatively compress this a lot work into that a lot time? And I didn’t know if I had pulled it off. I used to be truly actually apprehensive about it till I lastly noticed the scene minimize collectively and it performed past my expectations.
It’s scary generally. Typically, you simply suck it up and plow ahead and hope for the very best. That’s what I feel individuals don’t perceive about films, is that they turn into their very own factor. They unfold the best way they’re going to unfold, and you may’t at all times management that.
One in every of my favourite issues concerning the motion within the film is how prop-based it will get. You’ve gotten an old-school, virtually Jackie Chan vibe, particularly when Statham is utilizing the beekeeping gear as weapons, or within the name heart sequence, with the displays and keyboards. What did the prop-based motion carry to these sequences?
That’s the whole lot proper there. Jason Statham is taking part in the Beekeeper. He’s not [playing] a tactical motion man, with the pistol capturing. He’s extra about utilizing the atmosphere and at all times realizing the place to place his fingers and what to seize subsequent, and learn how to use the instruments which might be accessible to him instantly.
And it’s additionally fairly enjoyable. It’s like, Oh, properly, we will use a stapler, or we will use the telephone, we will use the chair. And Jeremy was nice at constructing that out. It was additionally represented in Kurt [Wimmer]’s script, the concept a gun is a brief weapon for the Beekeeper, and he’s gonna discover one thing to harm you.
You’ve gotten this tragic revenge story, however it’s referred to as The Beekeeper, and there are quite a lot of foolish bee references and jokes all through the film. How would you describe the film’s tone, and the way did you stability these two disparate components?
That was the toughest factor for me. I knew that was going to be my massive problem going into it, as a result of I come from quite a lot of straight, intense, gritty drama. I wished to make a broad-playing film. I wished to make a film grandma would watch, I wished to make a film younger individuals would watch, and everybody in between. I actually studied quite a lot of ’80s films: [Richard] Donner, Walter Hill, [John] McTiernan. You see it in Die Exhausting, you see it in Deadly Weapon, there’s a spot for the gravitas. There’s a spot for a human reality that’s grounded. And there’s a spot for completely simply going nuts.
I feel that’s one other aspect the place having Statham actually helps, as a result of he’s such a humorous performer. Lots of people discovered that with Spy, however for these of us who’ve been watching his motion films perpetually, he’s a extremely humorous man. And he’s capable of ship quite a lot of these bee-centric one-liners in a manner that few different leads actually might.
That’s the factor. He can say something and also you’re gonna purchase it, you recognize? And he has that voice. That voice is so distinctive, and that on-camera presence. He has that film star magic. And I really feel like a lot of that’s simply lacking from cinema proper now. You already know, that sense of enjoyable and journey and Hey, let’s eat popcorn and escape from the issues of the world for 2 hours.
And it’s not simply being quip-based, proper? As a result of there are quite a lot of quippy motion films, however this film higher integrates it into the motion, which makes it much more enjoyable.
That’s the factor, it’s getting the whole lot to work collectively. And, you recognize, I had quite a lot of enjoyable making a style film. I’m not gonna say I wasn’t scared going into it.
Do you’ve got a favourite bee joke or reference within the film?
Oh, man. I type of like Anisette’s [Megan Le] line “You’ve been a busy bee” within the fuel station battle, since you instantly know who she is, what she’s about, and that there’s a relationship there.
The film has a closely yellow-and-black coloration palette. Was that one thing you considered while you noticed the script? Oh, we need to make it really feel like a bee factor?
Yeah, I imply, you gotta have the nice and cozy honey tones, and the golden gentle is a part of it. And with this one — quite a lot of occasions, my coloration palette’s somewhat extra naturalistic. I had a brand new digicam system, the Arri [Alexa] 35, which is simply beautiful, probably the most lovely digital digicam I’ve labored with. And I wished to benefit from it. As a result of that polychromatic, colourful really feel of the film is certainly a operate of the digicam. And once more, simply, as a filmmaker, exploring a brand new look, exploring a brand new model.
I’m glad you introduced up McTiernan, as a result of I feel there’s definitely a few of Hart Bochner’s Ellis from Die Exhausting within the name heart villain aesthetics, and quite a lot of Wolf of Wall Avenue, too. What did you need to evoke with that group of individuals?
[Big sigh] Crypto bros. Folks with an excessive amount of cash, an excessive amount of occurring, an excessive amount of of a way of self. It feels good to be a winner, however it’s not good to win at different individuals’s expense.
Motion films with brief, virtually foolish titles have been touchdown properly not too long ago, like Gerard Butler’s Airplane in 2023. What do you assume a title like this brings to a film?
I feel it’s essential. It provides you a container to place the world in. It’s so aggressive lately, and there’s so many films. The extra you’ll be able to have somewhat enjoyable with the viewers, be intelligent with it, however have it make sense for the undertaking itself, have or not it’s a part of the truth of the movie, it’s essential. And I’m truthfully thrilled how a lot individuals have related with that idea and run with it. And now it’s like, Catch the excitement!
To what you have been saying earlier, I feel individuals need to have enjoyable on the films once more, proper? And one thing like this guarantees you that proper from the bounce.
That’s it, man. It’s like, Simply have enjoyable. I need to go to a film. I don’t need to be lectured proper now. The world’s powerful. I need to neglect my issues and simply eat popcorn and watch individuals get their butts kicked who deserve it.
The Beekeeper is now taking part in in theaters.