Jason Statham is one of the most popular action heroes working today, thanks in no small part to his ability to consistently land roles in major movie franchises. Whether it’s lending his recognizable gruff British voice to kids’ animated films or kicking ʙuтт in intricately choreographed fight sequences, Statham has carved out a cinematic persona that’s unique to him.

Many of the best Statham movies were part of an ongoing series, as audiences will know him for exciting parts like the getaway driver Frank Martin in the Transporter series or the iconic antagonist Deckard Shaw from Fast & Furious. With plenty of great franchises to his name, Statham has been dominating our screens for decades now.

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Gnomeo & Juliet (2011 – 2018)

Jason Statham as Tybalt

Toy Story meets Shakespeare in one of Jason Statham’s most unlikely franchises as he lent his voice to Gnomeo & Juliet but did not return for its sequel, Sherlock Gnomes. This reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with feuding garden gnomes certainly had a unique premise, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that it was just too self-referential for its own good.

Statham played Tybalt, Gnomeo’s nemesis, who escalates the conflict between the red and blue gnomes in the same way the genuine Shakespeare character did with the Montagues and Capulets. As a silly, updated take on a classic tragedy, Gnomeo & Juliet was packed with Elton John songs and stood as an enjoyable but minor addition to Statham’s varied filmography.

7

The Mechanic (2011 – 2016)

Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop

Jason Statham brought his unique action hero persona to a role first made famous by Charles Bronson in The Mechanic, a remake of the 1972 action favorite. As the hitman Arthur Bishop, Statham played a skilled killer who specialized in making his murders look like accidents. With a whole lot of style, this antihero focused on tactics over brute force.

The Mechanic was an enjoyable showcase of Statham’s appeal as an action star, and he even reprised his role for the sequel, Mechanic: Resurrection, in 2016. However, as a loud and over-the-top action crime series, there was nothing here we hadn’t already seen before in much better Statham movies, and these films squandered their potential to be really interesting.

6

Death Race (2008 – 2018)

Jason Statham as Jensen Ames

Another enjoyable Jason Statham remake came with Death Race, an update of the 1975 dystopian classic Death Race 2000. Statham starred as Jensen Ames, an ex-con forced by his prison warden to compete in a brutal road race that sees opponents literally kill each other in pursuit of victory. As mindless, violent, and fast-paced action, Death Race will satisfy adrenaline junkies.

While the Death Race series continued for ten years with three direct-to-video sequels, Statham did not stay with the franchise, and new actors were brought in to continue the chaotic carnage of the road racing series. With higher production values than the average VOD release, the later Death Race entries maintained their appeal even without Statham at the wheel.

5

The Expendables (2010 – 2023)

Jason Statham as Lee Christmas

Jason Statham’s status among the most notable action stars around was confirmed through his appearance in The Expendables franchise. As a star-studded series led by Sylvester Stallone and including the likes of Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger, this ensemble franchise really is a who’s who of the action movie landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries.

As the former SAS soldier Lee Christmas, Statham brought his incredible fighting talents to The Expendables series and helped turn it into one of the most fun, exciting, and self-aware action series there is. By proving he’s capable of acting alongside тιтans of the genre, Statham cemented his place as a modern action icon.

4

The Meg (2018 – 2023)

Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor

As an action star most commonly seen fighting in an urban environment, it was exciting to see Jason Statham on new terrain in the aquatic sci-fi action thriller series The Meg. Based on a series of novels by Steve Alten, Statham played expert diver Jonas Taylor, who encounters the once-thought extinct megalodon shark while on a rescue mission.

Meg 2 continued the adventures of Taylor as he was confronted with more prehistoric sharks in a series that makes Jaws look like a common goldfish. With plenty of underwater thrills, cheesy dialogue, and B-movie scares, viewers who haven’t yet seen this franchise should dive right in and enjoy The Meg.

3

Crank (2006 – 2009)

Jason Statham as Chev Chelios

Watching Crank is about as close as a feature film has ever gotten to the feeling of going on a wild rampage in the Grand Theft Auto video game series. As Chev Chelios, Jason Statham played a hitman poisoned with a synthetic drug, which means he needs to keep his adrenaline pumping or he will die.

This chaotic premise meant that Crank didn’t let the intensity drop for one moment, and this fast-paced energy was repeated in the sequel, Crank: High Voltage, where Chelios had to keep his artificial heart charged electrically while he frantically searched for his real one. The Crank series is about as wild as it gets, and it was perfect for Statham.

While there had been talk about a potential Crank 3 to continue the franchise, these plans have never come to fruition. Yet, the Crank series stands as one of Statham’s most intense and acclaimed projects among fans, as it allowed him to let loose like no other role and push action movie chaos to its absolute extreme.

2

Fast & Furious (2001 – Present)

Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw

The Fast & Furious series is among the most popular franchises of all time, and Jason Statham helped flesh out its ensemble cast when he joined in 2013. As a former British Special Forces soldier and MI6 agent turned criminal, Deckard Shaw joined the series in a brief uncredited cameo appearance in Fast & Furious 6 before stepping into the spotlight for Furious 7.

Shaw quickly became a fan-favorite character, and his interactions with Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs led to some of the series’ most enjoyable moments, so much so that the duo even got their own spin-off movie, Hobbs & Shaw, in 2019.

Statham brought a menacing energy into this wild street racing series, as he sought vengeance against Dominic Toretto and his crew for hospitalizing his brother. As the series has gone on, Statham has become something of a reluctant ally as he’s been folded into the Fast family and become one of the franchise’s most charismatic antiheroes.

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Transporter (2002 – 2015)

Jason Statham as Frank Martin

The definitive Jason Statham movie franchise was, of course, the Transporter series. Signaling Statham’s breakthrough as an action movie leading man, The Transporter saw Statham step up from supporting roles in Guy Ritchie movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to show off his impeccable choreography skills in the fast-paced story of a professional getaway driver.

With an impressively ᴀssured sense of style, The Transporter was co-written by Luc Besson and featured accomplished direction from Hong Kong action movie veteran Corey Yuen. As the series continued with two sequels, the Transporter franchise was a major contributor to Statham carving out his unique action hero persona.

As a franchise that lived and died on Statham’s cinematic charisma, it’s not surprising that a planned attempt at a reboot with Ed Skrein failed to connect with audiences. Jason Statham has had a long and impressive career in action movies, and it was through beloved franchises like Transporter that he’s managed to make such an impact.