Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper 2 Gets Update From Original Director

Director David Ayer teamed up with Jason Statham for The Beekeeper in 2024 and A Working Man in 2025. While a sequel to the hive-themed action hit is moving forward, Ayer will not be in the director’s chair. In an interview with Polygon, he said that while he has not seen the new footage yet, he remains excited about the project and confident that Statham will deliver another strong performance.

Written by Kurt Wimmer and directed by Ayer, the original film earned strong praise from action fans. The storyline followed retired operative Adam Clay seeking vengeance against predatory crypto scammers who drove an elderly friend to suicide, packing the runtime with bee-related puns and Ayer’s familiar tactical action style.

New leadership for the sequel

The continuing story will carry a different creative signature, as both the original director and writer have stepped aside. Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto, known for The Night Comes for Us and The Shadow Strays, is directing The Beekeeper 2 from a script by Umair Aleem.

The first film featured harsh violence, including a sequence where Clay severs a man’s fingers before tying him to a truck and launching it off a bridge. Fans can anticipate similar brutality under the new team, especially since Tjahjanto is known for gory action scenes. Footage revealed at CinemaCon in April showed Clay shoving a lit flamethrower into an enemy’s mouth.

The Beekeeper 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.

Source: Polygon