The trilogy got bigger, bolder, and better with each movie. 2005’s Transporter 2 expanded the scope with even more bonkers action scenes and 2008’s Transporter 3 became the highest-grossing entry in the series. The Transporter franchise continued after that, with a fourth film and a TV spinoff, but Statham never played Frank again. It never found the same success without Statham at the helm, so the question must be asked: will Statham ever return to the Transporter franchise? Sadly, as great as Transporter 5 would be, it seems unlikely that it’ll ever happen (at least with Statham as the lead).
Jason Statham ed On The Transporter 4 Due To Salary & Script Reasons
The Producers Couldn't Make Statham's Transporter 4 Deal
After the success of Transporter 3, the producers naturally wanted to make Transporter 4 with Statham returning as Frank. However, by then, Statham was a much bigger star than when he’d started working with them on the first Transporter film. He’d become one of the most beloved stars in the action genre, with several blockbuster hits under his belt, so he had plenty of offers coming in and he could name his price. Negotiations for a fourth film eventually fell through, and Statham has since revealed why he turned down Transporter 4.
Money was also a factor, as Statham revealed he was offered “less money to do three than I’d get for one,” so it made financial sense to move on to other projects.
Statham’s main reason for turning down Transporter 4 was that the producers wanted to sign him up for a whole new trilogy without even having a script for one movie. The actor “couldn’t see the value” in g on to star in an entire trilogy without seeing a script first, and the producers didn’t want to wait for a script to be written to get their star’s approval. Money was also a factor, as Statham revealed he was offered “less money to do three than I’d get for one,” so it made financial sense to move on to other projects.
The Transporter Continued Without Jason Statham Through A TV Show & A Prequel
The Transporter Refueled & Transporter: The Series Tried To Keep The Franchise Alive
After losing Statham, the producers still wanted to keep the Transporter franchise going, so they made a TV series and a fourth movie. The TV show, Transporter: The Series, ran for two seasons between 2012 and 2014. The series aired on RTL in , M6 in , and HBO Canada and Super Écran 1 in Canada. Chris Vance replaced Statham in the role of Frank alongside Andrea Osvárt as office manager Carla Valeri and Charly Hübner as mechanic Dieter Hausmann. François Berléand was the only returning actor from the movies, reprising his role as Inspector Tarconi.
Transporter: The Series was officially canceled on November 26, 2015.
In 2015, after the TV show ended, the Transporter franchise went back to the big screen for a fourth movie, The Transporter Refueled. This time, Frank was played by Ed Skrein, best known for playing the villainous Francis in Deadpool. The movie acted as both a reboot of the franchise and a prequel to Frank’s original story. The movie was panned by critics, who found it massively underwhelming after three fun-filled entries starring Statham. It started to become apparent that maybe The Transporter doesn’t work so well without its shining star.
The Transporter Refueled Was Supposed To Start A Trilogy (But The Transporter 5 Never Happened)
The Transporter Refueled Didn't Work
Much like when the fourth film was initially developed with Statham returning as Frank, The Transporter Refueled was planned as the first chapter in a new trilogy. The trilogy was announced at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival as a co-production of EuropaCorp and China’s Fundamental Films. Luc Besson was set to co-finance, distribute, produce, and write all three movies. When negotiations fell through with Statham and Skrein was brought in to replace him in a reboot, the plans for this trilogy had to be reworked. The original title, The Transporter Legacy, was changed to The Transporter Refueled.
The Transporter Refueled was a modest box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $72.6 million against a budget of $22 million (via Box Office Mojo), so it returned a sizable profit. It didn’t quite do as well as Transporter 3, but it did well enough that a sequel would’ve been viable. But despite this success, and despite the previous plans, Transporter 5 never happened. This is likely because, although the movie made money, critics and audiences didn’t take to Skrein’s Frank the way they did with Statham’s version of the character. Skrein’s Frank wasn’t fit to headline a franchise.
Will Jason Statham Ever Make Another Transporter Movie?
It Seems Unlikely
As much as Transporter fans would love for Statham to return for another movie, it seems unlikely at this point. Statham has plenty of other franchises to keep him occupied. He’s taken over The Expendables franchise from Sylvester Stallone, he’s become a pretty major player in the Fast & Furious saga with his own spinoff series, and he’s fighting giant sharks and sea monsters in The Meg movies. The Beekeeper is primed to become a blockbuster franchise, and he can always go back to do another Crank or Mechanic movie.
Jason Statham's 10 Best Fight Scenes In The Transporter Movies
As Frank Martin in The Transporter franchise, Jason Statham showcased his incredible fighting skills and proved himself a major action star.
So, it seems unlikely that Statham will go back and make another Transporter movie, especially after having such a bad experience the last time he tried to negotiate a Transporter sequel. But maybe that’s for the best. Based on what happened with The Transporter Refueled, it’s clear that whatever plans the producers had for the franchise before Statham dropped out didn’t work. Of course, their plans without Statham didn’t work, either, so there’s a chance that the producers would go back to Statham with a more generous offer this time.
Jason Statham Playing Frank Martin Again Is The Only Way To Reignite The Franchise
Clearly, The Transporter Franchise Doesn't Work Without Statham
After the shortcomings of The Transporter Refueled and the TV show, it’s clear that this franchise doesn’t work without Statham. His uniquely gruff charisma and magnetic screen presence are the reasons audiences took to the Transporter movies in the first place. The only way to reinvigorate the franchise now is to bring back Statham for another appearance as Frank, but it doesn’t seem likely to happen.
Source: Box Office Mojo
- Created by
- Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
- First Film
- The Transporter
- Latest Film
- The Transporter Refueled
- First TV Show
- Transporter The Series
- Cast
- Ray Stevenson, Chris Vance, Andrea Osvart
The Transporter is an action-thriller franchise that began with the 2002 film directed by Corey Yuen and produced by Luc Besson. The series follows Frank Martin, a professional driver and former special operations soldier, who specializes in transporting packages—no questions asked. The franchise is known for its high-octane action sequences, stylish car chases, and Jason Statham's portrayal of Frank Martin in the first three films. The series has expanded to include four films, a television series, and a reboot, maintaining its popularity as a staple of action cinema.
