Guy Ritchie Laments Not Making ‘Snatch’ Sequels – “I Probably Would Have Made Three of Those”

Back in late August, writer/director Guy Ritchie posted an interesting retrospective for the 20th anniversary of his second feature film Snatch on his official Instagram account. It’s something I completely slept on, as the director detailed the making of the film and shared behind-the-scenes footage. He gives the impression he would have been keen to make sequels and even suggests he would know where the characters are if he were to make a sequel today.

“One of the things I do lament is I feel as though I sort of wish that I’d made a follow-up to Snatch. But I’m so distracted by other things in my life at that time that I just, I didn’t know what was up and what was down,” Guy Ritchie states at the tail-end of his retrospective. He continues to mention he would have made a trilogy of films, “But if I was in that position now, knowing what I know now, I probably would have made three of those.”

He teased it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out where the characters could be at the moment.

“If I sat down and thought about it now for 15 minutes…Brad Pitt became Tyson Fury… it wouldn’t take me too long to piece together where all those characters are now, ” says Ritchie.

Snatch is arguably one of Ritchie’s standout films and it isn’t surprising he would chat-up potential sequels. You might remember that when he originally made RocknRolla back in 2008, there had been a plan to make it a trilogy but due to the film’s poor reception that never came together.

After a stint making successful event films like Disney’s Aladdin he’s returned to the smaller action comedy genre with The Gentlemen (now developing into a series for Miramax), he’s also reunited with Jason Statham for the upcoming films Wrath of Man, a thriller about an armored truck, and the spy flick Five Eyes co-starring Aubrey Plaza.

His renewed working relationship with Jason Statham could lead to the actor pushing Ritchie to eventually make this hypothetical sequel eventually. Revisiting some of his characters from Snatch two decades later wouldn’t be shocking as Danny Boyle did something similar with T2 Trainspotting.

SNATCH (2000) – Illegal boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) convinces gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) to offer bets on bare-knuckle boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) at his bookie business. When Mickey does not throw his first fight as agreed, an infuriated Brick Top demands another match. Meanwhile, gangster Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) comes to place a bet for a friend with Brick Top’s bookies, as multiple criminals converge on a stolen diamond that Frankie has come to London to sell.

You can check out that fantastic retrospective video below.

SOURCE: GUY RITCHIE

‘Five Eyes’: Aubrey Plaza To Co-Star With Jason Statham In Guy Ritchie’s New Spy Flick

Deadline reports that comedic actress Aubrey Plaza (Legion, Happiest Season) has landed a co-starring role opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s next film formerly known as Five Eyes (new title unknown). It sounds like Plaza has taken the role of a CIA high-tech expert.

The Fives Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, which was founded back in 1941. This should give an idea of the nationalities of the other characters in the film.

Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies wrote the film with rewrites from Guy.

The story follows MI6 guns-and-steel agent (Statham) who is recruited by a global intelligence alliance to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.

This won’t be Ritchie’s first spy movie as he tackled the genre with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. starring Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander.

I previously reported that Guy would be reuniting with Wrath of Man production designer Martyn Johns on Five Eyes.

Filming is expected to take place next year in Europe.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Jason Statham In Talks For ‘Small Dark Look’ Penned By ‘Eastern Promises’ Screenwriter Steven Knight – Focuses On The Russian Mafia In London

Deadline is reporting that British action star Jason Statham is in talks to take a role in a gangster drama titled Small Dark Look. Danish director Martin Zandvliet will be working from a script written by Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Peaky Blinders) as the film will take place within the world of the Russian mafia in London, obviously the film is in Knight’s wheelhouse after writing David David Cronenberg’s underrated Eastern Promises.

Details on the project aren’t mentioned in the Deadline article but it had been once said to be Knight’s Eastern Promises 2 script reworked as Body Cross (via Screen Daily and Collider) which has now been given the new title of Small Dark Look.

According to Screen Daily, which broke the news, Body Cross is described a mafia tale about two immigrant brothers living in London. Collider’s sources indicate the script follows a Russian agent who rises to become a London mafia boss’ trusted lieutenant and is soon instructed to assassinate one of his fellow countrymen. As far as I know, Mortensen’s character of Nikolai has been written out of the script, or at least renamed ‘Gregory.’

Jason has been busy with Snatch director Guy Ritchie filming the armored car thriller Wrath of Man and the upcoming spy flick Five Eyes. He’s also loosely attached for a new Expendables film and a sequel to Hobbs & Shaw.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Ben Wheatley To Direct Jason Statham In ‘The Meg 2’

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rebecca director Ben Wheatley has been hired by Warner Bros. to direct their sequel to the shark action flick The Meg.

The studio has set filmmaker Ben Wheatley, whose updated version of Gothic tale Rebecca debuted this week, to direct the sequel to its 2018 giant shark thriller hit, The Meg.

The original earned an impressive $530.2 million globally on a budget of $130 million.

THE MEG – Previously thought to be extinct, a massive creature attacks a deep-sea submersible, leaving it disabled and trapping the crew at the bottom of the Pacific. With time running out, a visionary oceanographer recruits rescue diver Jonas Taylor to save the crew and the sea itself from an unimaginable threat — a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon.

Ben Wheatley is no stranger to action with his excellent R-rated action comedy Free Fire that focused on a Boston arms deal with the IRA that goes sour very quickly which starred Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, and Sharlto Copley.

He was also tasked to direct the Tomb Raider sequel but we haven’t got many updates on that film recently from Warner Bros. or the trades.

Jason Statham is a busy bee lately as he filmed a thriller called Wrath of Man aka Cash Truck for director Guy Ritchie and will reunite with Ritchie for the spy flick Five Eyes.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

British Gangster Flick ‘The Gentlemen’ Getting A Series At Miramax TV – Guy Ritchie To Write and Direct

Guy Ritchie is busy these days as he released The Gentlemen in January, expected to release his armored car thriller Wrath of Man starring Jason Statham in the near future, and is about to return to the spy genre with his Statham action flick Five Years filming this fall in Europe.

Deadline has learned that Ritchie is looking to turn his film The Gentlemen into a series for Miramax TV, pointing out that the project originally was a television pitch before it pivoted to a feature film adaption. Adding that Guy will both write and direct the show.

Miramax TV is developing The Gentlemen, a TV series based on the studio’s successful action-comedy feature that was written and directed by Guy Ritchie and starred Matthew McConaughey. Ritchie will write and direct the series, which he will executive produce alongside Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, his fellow producers on the movie.

The British gangster film starred Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, and Hugh Grant, however, it’s unknown if that cast will reprise their roles for the series.

THE GENTLEMEN – Miramax TV is developing The Gentlemen, a TV series based on the studio’s successful action-comedy feature that was written and directed by Guy Ritchie and starred Matthew McConaughey. Ritchie will write and direct the series, which he will executive produce alongside Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, his fellow producers on the movie.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Guy Ritchie Reuniting With ‘Wrath of Man’ Production Designer For MI6 Thriller ‘Five Eyes’ Starring Jason Statham

The Ronin has been able to confirm that director Guy Ritchie has hired production designer Martyn John for his upcoming spy action movie Five Eyes starring Jason Statham for STXfilms and Miramax. Guy and Martyn had previously worked on his armored car action film Wrath of Man (formerly Cash Truck) which is a remake of the French film Le Convoyeur from 2004 and is expected to be released on January 15th, 2021.

Five Eyes was penned by The Gentlemen screenwriters Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies with rewrites from Guy. 

MI6 guns-and-steel agent Orson Fortune (Statham) is recruited by global intelligence alliance Five Eyes to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with a CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity, and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.

Five Eyes aka FVEY is a real intelligence alliance that consists of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Filming on Five Eyes is expected to begin next month in Europe.

Ritchie previously tackled the spy genre with The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a feature film adaptation of the classic television series. 

The director is also said to be attached for Disney’s Aladdin sequel.