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The Beekeeper: Jason Statham Didn't Get Stung Once On Set

There were plenty of real bees on the set of The Beekeeper, but director David Ayer has revealed that star Jason Statham didn't get stung once.

While some of us might be neck deep in awards season, the beginning of the year and the fun it tends to provide are looming just as large. The first couple weeks of the new year are often seen as the dumping ground for films studios aren't confident will do well. Everyone is broke after the holidays, and things like going to the movies tend to fall by the wayside first when budgeting. That means the crop of January movies is always interesting because there is usually one surprise hit somewhere. Jason Statham might be one of the biggest action stars working these days, and director David Ayer has apparently not burned off all of his goodwill from how hard Fury slapped because they have a new film called The Beekeeper. It's about what you would expect when you watch the trailer, and Ayer revealed to Empire that he was shocked at how much Statham does his own stunts, not just the ones that involve action scenes but the bees in the film as well.

"The big shock was how much he does his own stunts," he says. "His stunt double was just sitting around, hoping to be invited to the dance. … 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."

There is something entertaining about someone who looked like Statham going all Zen beekeeper that has some kind of comedy attached to it, but that also appears to be part of the film's comedy. So when you're watching the trailer and see all of the bees, now you know that those weren't special effects and there were actual bees on set. Ayer revealed that in terms of people getting stung, the person who tapped into the whole Zen beekeeper thing did not get stung. "Jason did not get stung," said Ayer. "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." We can hope that no one who got stung on set found out they had a late-in-life allergy because that would put a damper on the experience.

The Beekeeper: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

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."

The Beekeeper, directed by David Ayer, stars Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, with Phylicia Rashad and Jeremy Irons. It will be released on January 12, 2024.

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