Jason Statham’s upcoming project A Working Man is a creative adaptation of the novel Levon’s Trade by Chuck Dixon, and it finally sees the Hollywood superstar step into a role that I’ve been hoping he would for years. The movie is essentially David Ayer’s version of Taken, following a building contractor who puts his covert skills to use when his boss’ daughter goes missing by a dangerous criminal organization. A Working Man slightly changes Dixon’s original book, finally giving Statham a role that’s extremely similar to Liam Neeson’s in Taken.

David Ayer is the man behind projects such as Fury and The Beekeeper, both of which clearly display his apтιтude for making fierce, dynamic action movies that suck the audience in with complex plots and unpredictable twists. A Working Man should be no different, and Statham’s involvement immediately suggests that Ayer will be focusing on the darker, more action-packed side of the original novel. Statham will also reunite with Sylvester Stallone in A Working Man, bringing two action superstars together for what’s bound to be a dark, bloody adaptation of this acclaimed story.

A Working Man’s Plot Is Almost Identical To Taken

A Working Man & Taken Are Both About Finding Missing Daughters

While there are certainly some differences between the two films, A Working Man‘s plot shares some undeniable similarities with Taken. It’s a story of revenge that uses a missing daughter as bait for an everyman-type character to transform into an angry, violent action hero who fights the good fight. The only sizable difference between the projects is that A Working Man‘s missing girl is the protagonist’s boss’ daughter rather than his own.

Taken was an enormous success when it was released in the late 2000s, and it created its own archetype of action movies that has only increased in popularity since then. However, Statham is one of the few action stars who’s steered clear of Taken-like movies, directing his efforts instead towards much larger-scale narratives like Fast & Furious and The Expendables. Judging from A Working Man‘s initial trailer, this is the perfect opportunity for him to break this pattern — and I couldn’t be more excited to see how he tackles this action movie archetype.

A Working Man’s Book Changes Make The Movie Even More Like Taken

David Ayer’s Vision Is Quite Different From The Book

However, A Working Man won’t be an exact adaptation of Chuck Dixon’s original novel. The trailer has already revealed that Ayer will be making some important changes to the story, most notably regarding the intentions of Statham’s protagonist. In the book, he’s much more reluctant to step into this dark world of crime, but Statham likely won’t show any of this restraint in A Working Man. Instead, his vengeance is much more personal — just like in Taken.

While some fans of Dixon’s novel may take issue with these important changes, I’m confident that Statham and Ayer will be able to justify the adaptation. Both of these stars have made names for themselves because of the brutal, violent projects that they’re ᴀssociated with, so it wouldn’t have made sense for their vision of A Working Man to be quite as straightforward and dramatic as the book. Instead, bringing it closer to the personal stakes of Taken gives it more emotional weight and makes it easier for audiences to invest themselves in these characters.

Jason Statham’s A Working Man Continues A Trend With His Action Movies

Statham’s Recent Characters Are All Similar

Interestingly, this project continues a trend that’s been present in almost all of Jason Statham’s recent movies. Whether it’s The Beekeeper, Wrath of Man, or now A Working Man, the actor has made a habit of playing characters who are seemingly “normal” on the surface but later reveal themselves to have an extensive history of combat that allows them to beat down anybody in their path. This is mirrored in their seemingly mundane occupations, ranging from truck drivers to building contractors, which are really just fronts for their true selves.

However, this trope has proven to be excellent for Jason Statham’s box office success, so it makes sense that A Working Man would continue the trend. There’s something about watching him transform from a boring everyman character into an unstoppable soldier that’s always fun to watch, and it’s produced some of the highest-grossing movies of the actor’s entire career. It’s consistently entertaining, but Statham will have to take care that he’s not merely rehashing old material in A Working Man if he wants it to stand out within his catalog.