Action icon Jason Statham has become well-known for doing his own stunts, and it seems that his commitment carries over from leaping out of cars and punching enemies to the “Zen” art of beekeeping. While filming the upcoming action outing The Beekeeper, Statham naturally took to beekeeping, with director David Ayer revealing just how dedicated The Stath is to performing his own stunts. And looking after bees.

The crew behind The Beekeeper laughed at the idea of Statham working with a bunch of bees for real, but the action star proved that he has an affinity for more than just throwing his fists and feet.

“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.”

Speaking with Empire Magazine, who have also unveiled a new image from The Beekeeper, Ayer went to reveal that Statham was so good with the bees that he did not get stung even once.

“Jason did not get stung. I got stung pretty bad shooting bees later on. But it was fine. You make a movie called The Beekeeper, you’re gonna get stung.”

No doubt he gave them the same look he gives villains before beating them to a pulp.

The Beekeeper Is Due to Hit Theaters in January 2024

Audiences will get to see the results of Jason Statham’s beekeeping next year in The Beekeeper, which sees the star of such action classics as The Meg, Crank, Safe, and the Transporter series take the lead as a violent man with a mysterious past. Check out the official synopsis for The Beekeeper below:

Directed by David Ayer from a script written by Kurt Wimmer, The Beekeeper will be led by Jason Statham, with the rest of the cast including the likes of Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, with Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons.

Statham is also due to reunite with his Expendables co-star Sylvester Stallone, who has penned the script for Levon’s Trade. The action thriller will see Jason Statham on familiar (but no less exciting ground) as a former black-ops agent who is called back into action after his boss’s teenage daughter vanishes. Levon’s Trade is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by comic author Chuck Dixon, and is looking to begin filming in March 2024 in London.

The Beekeeper is scheduled to be released in theaters by Amazon MGM Studios on January 12, 2024. Check out the trailer below: