Director David Ayer returns to the big screen with the 2024 action thriller The Beekeeper. Ayer’s last directed film was the 2020 The Tax Collector. Known for his work in Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), Fury (2014), and Suicide Squad (2016), David Ayer delivers yet another action-packed, bone-breaking fight sequence from screenwriter/filmmaker Kurt Wimmer‘s screenplay.
Kurt Wimmer, who’s no stranger to action thrillers, is the mind behind the screenplays of some of Hollywood’s top action films in the last two decades. Wimmer wrote and co-wrote screenplays like Equilibrium (2002), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), The Misfits (2021), and Expend4bles (2023). If ever there’s any doubt, The Beekeeper (2024) stars Hollywood’s leading man and action star Jason Statham as its cast lead. Here’s everything to know about the Jason Statham-led action thriller The Beekeeper (2024).
What Is The Beekeeper About?
The Beekeeper‘s plot centers around its protagonist, Mr. Clay. The character, having worked as an agent for a government clandestine organization, Beekeepers, retires and settles in a small town. As he adapts to life outside being a covert operative, he soon befriends his older neighbor, Eloise Parker. Eloise, a widow and pensioner, appreciates Mr. Clay’s help and support in caring for the bees and hives on her property and helping to restore the land.
Eloise Parker soon falls victim to a phishing scam and loses all her retirement money. Overcame by grief, Eloise Parker commits suicide. After discovering the cause of Eloise Parker’s death, Mr. Clay comes out from retirement and seeks revenge. Determined to make the scammers face justice, Mr. Clay uses his resources to track and locate the people behind the phishing emails and scams. However, he soon discovers that phishing scam emails are only a small part of the corruption that goes all the way up to powers in government. Mr. Clay’s quest for revenge will bring him face-to-face with some of the people he served to protect as an operative of the Beekeepers.
Who Stars in The Beekeeper?
Unsurprisingly, Jason Statham plays The Beekeeper‘s lead character, Mr. Clay. Known for playing hard-boiled, tough, and violent characters, Statham was the perfect casting to play Mr. Clay. As one of Hollywood’s most bankable action stars, Statham’s films have grossed over $1.5 billion at the Box Office. Besides being known for his roles in The Transporter films, The Mechanic films, The Expendables films, and Fast & Furious films, Jason Statham has had a busy year before his casting in The Beekeeper (2024). In 2023, he starred in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,Fast X, Meg 2: The Trench, and Expend4bles. Although in a small supporting role, Emmy-nominated actress Phylicia Rashad will play Eloise Parker, Mr. Clay’s neighbor who falls victim to phishing scams. Phylicia Rashad is known for her role as Clair Huxtable in the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). In a more recent starring role, Phylicia Rashad starred in Empire (2016–2018), This Is Us (2019–2021), The Good Fight (2022), and Creed III (2023).
English actor Jeremy Irons also stars in The Beekeeper (2024). The actor plays one of the film’s main antagonists, Wallace Westwyld, the head of the phishing scam and the link to corrupt government officials. A Triple Crown of Acting recipient, Jeremy Irons is known for his roles in Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), House of Gucci (2021), The Flash (2023), and The Cello (2023). British-American actress Minnie Driver is cast as Director Janet Harward of the FBI, who tries to stop Mr. Clay from taking the law into his hands. American actress and singer Emmy Raver-Lampman plays FBI agent Verona Parker, alongside Iran-born actor Bobby Naderi, who plays Agent Matt Wiley. The Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson plays Derek Danforth, the one who runs the phishing scams, with British actress Jemma Redgrave playing President Danforth.
When Is The Beekeeper Release Date?
With The Beekeeper‘s scheduled release date within the first two weeks of 2024, it is one of the year’s early action film releases. With filming taking place in the United Kingdom, The Beekeeper wrapped up production in December 2022. The 105-minute action thriller, The Beekeeper, is scheduled for release theatrically on January 12, 2024. With Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquiring the rights for distribution in the United States, The Beekeeper will be released under the company’s Amazon MGM Studios. In the United Kingdom, The Beekeeper will be distributed by Sky Cinema.