Jason Statham is no stranger to movie franchises, starting with The Transporter movies and continuing with The Expendables series, which has a third installment in the works that is looking to add even more action movie stars. Statham's latest, the action thriller Parker, opens today, and could be yet another franchise for the British action star. After all, the character of Parker has been the subject of 24 novels from the late author Donald E. Westlake, which means that there could be plenty Parker movies if audiences respond positively.
A career criminal, Parker sticks to a moral code that means he doesn't steal from the poor or hurt innocent people but has no problem resorting to violence if someone deserves it (see both Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson's portrayal of the character in 1967's Point Blank and 1999's Payback, respectively, for more info). In Parker, the anti-hero is betrayed by his crew and left for dead, so he heads to Palm Beach, Florida, seeking revenge and taking their next heist for himself as well. The movie looks like a perfect opportunity for Statham, an actor who seems uniquely dedicated to making nothing but action movies. But how much do you know about Statham's career? If you've got eight hours, we can make you a Statham expert.
time for the "essential statham" >> Posted 01.25.13 by Ryan 
Statham gets revenge, attempts an accent.
The character of career criminal Parker has made it to the big screen on several occasions, though never exactly under the same name. Created by the late author Donald E. Westlake, Parker was the protagonist of 24 novels Westlake wrote under the pseudonym of Richard Stark, the character of Parker was called Walker in 1967's Point Blank (and portrayed by Lee Marvin) and was called Porter when Mel Gibson played him in 1999's Payback, though both movies were based on the same book, Westlake's first "Parker" novel, The Hunter. In Parker, the character gets his original name back (even if no one is sure it's his real name in the first place), and is based on a different Westlake novel, Flashfire.
Ostensibly, the storyline remains the same, however. Like the other cinematic incarnations of the character, Parker, this time played by Jason Statham, has again been left for dead by his criminal partners and is looking to get revenge. "He’s a man who lives by a certain moral code," Statham told EW of the character, who can now be seen in the movie's first trailer. "He’s involved in criminal activities but he perceives all business to be in some way crooked. He never steals from people he feels can’t afford it and he doesn’t hurt people that don’t deserve it. So there’s a likeable quality to this anti-hero."
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watch the trailer and read more from statham on the role >> Posted 10.05.12 by Ryan