The Beekeeper: David Ayer Reveals How Many Times Jason Statham Got Stung on Set

The Beekeeper is heading to theaters in January, and it marks the latest film by David Ayer who is best known for writing the original The Fast and the Furious film and directing Suicide Squad (2016) in addition to helming End of Watch (2012) and Fury (2014). The new action/thriller flick is set to star Jason Statham and feature Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons. In the new movie, Statham also shares the screen with – you guessed it – bees! During a recent interview with Empire, Ayer revealed Statham never got stung while making the movie.

"The big shock was how much he does his own stunts," Ayer said of Statham. "His stunt double was just sitting around, hoping to be invited to the dance." He added, "The crew were laughing: 'There's no way you're putting Jason Statham with a bunch of bees for real!' But Jason wanted to do it. So, we put him with a beekeeper, and he learned how to open the hive and work with the bees. He connected with the whole 'zen' beekeeping things."

You can read an official description of The Beekeeper here: "In The Beekeeper, one man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as 'Beekeepers.'"

Statham and the film's writer, Kurt Wimmer (Salt), are set to produce with Bill Block for Miramax and Chris Long for Cedar Park Studios. This reunites Statham with Miramax, who produced Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man and Operature Fortune: Ruse De Guerre. 

"Having collaborated with Jason on Wrath Of Man and Operation Fortune, and with David on Fury, we are fortunate to partner with these masters of the new action genre to bring Kurt's brilliant script to the first installment of this franchise," Block said in a statement.

Will DC Studios Release the Ayer Cut?

Last year, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran are now the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, a new entity formed to replace DC Films. Ayer has previously shown his support for Gunn's new position, but he has also been very open about wanting Warner Bros. to release his version of Suicide Squad. Considering he's friendly with Gunn on Twitter, many fans have wondered if Gunn will release the "Ayer Cut." Soon after Gunn's new role was announced, he addressed some of the fan requests, including saving Legends of Tomorrow after it was canceled and releasing the "Ayer Cut."

More recently, Ayer debunked rumors that his cut was coming, but it sounds like he is still holding out hope. 

The Beekeeper is heading to theaters on January 12, 2024.