Director Paul Feig scored a huge hit with the Prime Video movie Jackpot! The film, starring John Cena and Awkwafina, sat atop the streamers global chart for weeks, despite some scathing reviews from critics. Although there has not been any word of a sequel yet, Feig dropped a surprising name that he would want to enlist in Jackpot 2 if it did happen. One of the biggest action stars of the moment, Jason Statham.
In an interview with The Direct, Feig appeared to accidentally name-drop Statham when discussing who he would like to be at his side to protect him if he won a lottery in the world of Jackpot!“I’m calling John Cena or Simu Liu or Jason Statham and saying, ‘Help.,'” the director said. When questioned about the British actor’s name coming up, even though he was not in the movie, Feig teased:
Of course, Feig has already worked with Statham on one of the actor’s highest rated movies, Spy. The 2015 action comedy scored an incredible 95% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and landed a box office of $235 million. Statham proved his comedic chops in Spy, and he would certainly fit into the wild and over-the-top action premise of Jackpot!, so the idea of Statham joining a sequel if it did get green-lit would not be too much of a stretch.
Jackpot! Received a Very Mixed Bag of Reviews
Jackpot! delivered a dark comedy centered around Katie (Awkwafina), who becomes the target for many people who are trying to kill her and claim the $3.6 billion lottery prize she has just won. Very similar in many ways to Matthew Vaughan’s Argylle, the film was not the most serious movie, and it never set out to be, but what both films did do was fail to completely stick their landing for many viewers.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Jackpot! holds a disappointing critics’ score of 31%, and split 51% from audiences. Generally, the film falls squarely into the love it or hate it category of movies that Feig has found himself dabbling in with the likes of 2016’s Ghostbusters. What cannot be ignored is that the film dominated the Prime Video chart for long enough to put it well into sequel territory, and naturally the film ended with the promise of a bigger and even more chaotic story to come if that does happen.
Related
Jackpot Review: The Satire Doesn’t Work but the Action & Acting Does
Despite the efforts of director Paul Feig and stars Awkwafina and John Cena, Jackpot never rises above serviceable due to a messy attempt at satire.
Feig may definitely be interested in bringing Statham into the mix if the chance arises, as everything he touches seems to turn to gold, but of course, the actor would need to find a space in his schedule for such a movie. With upcoming roles including a return to the Fast & Furious franchise, David Ayer’s Levon’s Trade and the ever present rumor of a possible MCU role on the horizon, Statham’s popularity could mean that Feig would have to wait for an opening to reunite with the action star again. However, it is probably something that would be worth the wait.
In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California – the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. When Katie Kim (Awkwafina) moves to Los Angeles, she mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket. Desperate to survive the hordes of jackpot hunters, she reluctantly joins forces with amateur lottery protection agent Noel Cassidy (John Cena) who will do everything in his power to get her to sundown in exchange for a piece of her prize. However, Noel must face off with his slick rival Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), who also seeks to collect Katie’s commission at all costs.
- Release Date
- August 15, 2024
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Writers
- Rob Yescombe
- Where to watch
- Amazon Prime Video
- Distributor(s)
- Prime Video