Jason Statham stars in A Working Man, and the new action movie means he’s accomplished something Sylvester Stallone couldn’t. Headlining an action movie of any kind is familiar territory for Statham. He’s made an entire career out of playing protagonists and antagonists in various high-octane films. He’s done major franchises like Fast & Furious and The Expendables, and he’s also turned the likes of Transporter, Crank, The Mechanic, and more into multi-movie stories. Some are original works, while others are based on books, with A Working Man being the latter.

A Working Man puts Jason Statham in the lead role of Levon Cade, a retired military veteran who is pulled back into the life of action and heroism to save a kidnapped girl. The movie is an adaptation of the Chuck Dixon novel “Levon’s Trade.” The original book was released in 2014 and launched a series that currently includes 11 installments from the author. That positions A Working Man as a potential franchise for Statham by using the source material. A Working Man hits theaters 11 years after “Levon’s Trade” debuted, but Statham wasn’t the first to try adapting it.

Sylvester Stallone Tried & Failed To Make A Levon’s Trade TV Show Before Jason Statham’s Movie

Stallone Had The Book’s Rights Years Earlier

Long before Jason Statham became attached to star in A Working Man, Hollywood’s first attempt to adapt “Levon’s Trade” came with Sylvester Stallone. He and his production company, Balboa Productions, acquired the rights to Chuck Dixon’s first book in the Levon Cade series. Instead of developing it as a movie and starring vehicle for Stallone, the plan was for a Levon’s Trade TV show to be made. The news first surfaced in 2018, one year after Balboa Productions launched, but nothing ever came from the announcement.

It’s unclear why the Levon’s Trade series Balboa Productions developed never came to pᴀss. No writer was ever hired publicly, nor did any studio join the development with hopes of releasing it. The fate of Levon’s Trade changed in 2023 when it was announced that a movie adaptation was in the works. David Ayer was attached to direct, while Jason Statham was announced as the star. The movie, which changed its тιтle to A Working Man during development, was acquired by Amazon MGM and moved smoothly through production afterward.

Sylvester Stallone Is Still Involved In Jason Statham’s A Working Man

He’s Not In The Movie, Though

Sylvester Stallone missed out on his chance to make a Levon’s Trade TV show, but he didn’t fully fail at bringing Chuck Dixon’s novel to life. Sylvester Stallone’s role in A Working Man is as the co-writer with David Ayer. Stallone wrote the initial screenplay for the movie, which helped Ayer and Statham commit to the project. Stallone is also involved with A Working Man as a producer, as Balboa Productions remained attached to the project even after it shifted from a TV show to a movie.

There’s a chance that A Working Man may have never happened if it wasn’t for Sylvester Stallone’s initial interest in developing Chuck Dixon’s book as a TV show. While that project didn’t materialize, Jason Statham helped bring the Levon Cade character to life and introduce him to a broader audience. As a result, he’s done with A Working Man what Sylvester Stallone couldn’t with his initial Levon’s Trade adaptation plan.