Remember Matthew Vaughn’s 2004 film Layer Cake? Maybe not, but that small British crime flick established Daniel Craig as a leading man, and led to him landing the James Bond gig shortly thereafter. A sequel, Viva La Madness, was planned for Jason Statham and based on author JJ Connolly’s book, but it never got off the ground. Now, many years later, Vaughn’s pal Guy Ritchie has picked it up for himself, with production already underway.
That’s right, production is full steam ahead in London on Viva La Madness. Statham is back to lead an incredible ensemble that includes Ritchie favorite Vinnie Jones, Ben Foster, Jason Isaacs, Babs Olusanmokun, Camila Mendes, Jonny Lee Miller, and Raúl Alejandro. Connolly and Ritchie are adapting the screenplay together.
Statham takes over as the unnamed criminal played by Craig in the first movie, with the action moving between London and the Caribbean. Here’s the book synopsis:
In “Viva la Madness,” the anonymous hero of ‘Layer Cake’ is stranded in the Caribbean, itching for the gangster life he left behind–but he’s still a wanted man back home. Soon, he joins forces with two robust London criminals: the menacing Sonny King and his paranoid partner Roy “Twitchy” Burns. From the beach to an urban underworld, Viva la Madness moves to trans-Atlantic drug deals and high-tech electronic fraud, portrayed with the same uncanny believability. A dazzling combination of London low-life and Caribbean high-life, readers will find this antihero’s voice authentic and whiplash-inducing in equal shares. [Deadline]
