Big-screen action star Jason Statham will soon bring his talents to the small screen as he prepares for his new starring role in the drama-action-thriller Viva La Madness, which is produced by Gaumont International Television. The series will appear on streaming behemoth Netflix.
TheFurious 7star is set to take the wheel for the new series, which is set for shooting in the U.K. sometime next year. The international crime-themed show is based on the book Viva La Madness by J.J. Connolly, and is the next installment to the author’s novel Layer Cake, which was adapted for film back in 2004.
“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,” said Gaumont International TV CEO Katie O’Connell Marsh. “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.”
In Viva La Madness, the hero is looking to get back into the criminal life, and ultimately joins forces with two London gangsters: the menacing Sonny King and his paranoid partner, Roy “Twitchy” Burns. Along with the violence you’d expect from a show rife with shady characters, the fast-paced, 10-part series also offers a fair share of humor and sarcasm.
While he’s no stranger to high-octane, ass-kicking roles, this will be Statham’s first time doing it for television, and he’s eager to get started. “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,” the show’s star said.
Stay tuned for more info on when Viva La Madness is scheduled to premiere on Netflix.
