Following in the well-heeled footsteps of Anne Hathaway, Jason Statham is coming to TV with a project first, network second. The actor will executive-produce and star in an adaptation of Viva La Madness, a British gangster novel by J.J. Connolly — who also wrote the source material for Layer Cake, which was adapted for the big screen and fronted by Daniel Craig in 2004. Connolly is set to write the series, which is being produced by Gaumont International.
The book follows our anonymous protagonist, who’s stuck in the Caribbean because he’s a wanted man back in the U.K. Eventually he gets back to his criminal ways with two other London gangsters. Gaumont CEO Katie O’Connell praised Statham’s ability to bring “strength and credibility to his characters†as well as “an effortless shade of vulnerability.†We totally agree.