It may not bode well for EuropaCorp's reboot The Transporter Refueled that most of the attention is focused on the absence of franchise star, Jason Statham. He's been replaced by Ed Skrein as the close-cut, suit-wearing, butt-kicking driver, and at least according to the trailers he seems to have all the moves down.
The Transporter movies have never been too concerned with offering much background on lead character Frank Martin, but 'Refueled' goes in a different direction. Going back to one of his early missions, the story centers on a "personal" vendetta when a job leads to his father (played by Ray Stevenson) needing to be rescued. There will be hot babes, fast cars, and lots of bad guys catching beat downs. Skrein, who also has a villain role in next year's Deadpool, seems to be channeling Statham's version of Frank Martin rather than his own, but will that be enough to keep fans happy?The franchise is strong enough to support a TV series with yet another actor so who knows?
Directed by Camille Delamarre (Brick Mansions), The Transporter Refueled opens September 4th.
