Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper 2 “Unpredictable” Villain Teased By Director

Director Timo Tjahjanto revealed what fans can expect from the villains in The Beekeeper 2. The first Beekeeper movie, helmed by David Ayer, was released in 2024 and starred Jason Statham as a former assassin named Adam Clay who leaves retirement in order to seek revenge after a phishing scam impacts his landlady. Josh Hutcherson played the villain, Derek Danforth.

Statham is returning for the sequel, The Beekeeper 2, this time with Tjahjanto at the helm. Tjahjanto told The Direct that there are “so many” antagonists in the upcoming film and added that the villain element of The Beekeeper 2 will be very “unpredictable and colorful,” which was one of his goals when he came on board as director.

Tjahjanto also praised the script for The Beekeeper 2, and he “personally can’t wait” for fans to be able to watch the Amazon MGM Studios film.

“I personally can’t wait. The script is so great, and there are so many new villains that are coming in the film. And a film is always great, because – especially a film like Beekeeper – it’s always great because the villain element is going to be so unpredictable and colorful, and that’s what we want to do in the second film.”

The director previously teased that The Beekeeper 2 would feel like it came straight out of an anime or manga comic.

Along with Statham and Hutcherson, The Beekeeper also starred Emmy Raver-Lampman, Minnie Driver, Bobby Naderi, David Witts, Taylor James, Michael Epp, Jemma Redgrave, Phylicia Rashad, Enzo Cilenti, Don Gilet, Megan Le and Jeremy Irons.

The film, which was released in January 2024, grossed $162.6 million at the box office against a $40 million budget.

The Beekeeper received mostly positive reviews from critics (with a 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes), and overwhelming praise from audiences (who gave the action thriller a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes). Several critics praised Statham’s action hero status in The Beekeeper, even if some of them felt the plot itself left much to be desired.

The actor reunited with Ayer, the director of the first film, for the action thriller A Working Man in 2025. Statham’s other acting credits over the years include The Transporter, The Italian Job, The Expendables, Fast & Furious 6, Spy, The Meg and Hobbs & Shaw.

Statham isn’t the only cast member returning for The Beekeeper 2. Raver-Lampman and Naderi are reprising their roles as FBI agents Verona Parker and Matt Wiley, as are Redgrave as President Jessica Danforth and Irons as Wallace Westwyld. New cast members include Grown-ish alum Yara Shahidi, Mission: Impossible‘s Pom Klementieff and pro wrestler Adam Copeland.

Tjahjanto, who recently helmed the Bob Odenkirk film Nobody 2, is directing from a script written by Umair Aleem, with Statham, Chris Long and Kurt Wimmer on board as producers.

Filming for The Beekeeper 2 wrapped in late 2025, with the director calling it an incredible experience and praising the cast and crew for all the hard work they put into the project.

While a release date hasn’t been announced yet, expect The Beekeeper 2 to be released in the latter half of 2026 or 2027, with Statham back in action as Adam Clay.