Jason Statham to star in Layer Cake TV spin-off

Jason Statham is set to swap his staple diet of blockbuster explosion-fests for the small screen, with THR reporting that the action star is heading up a new TV spin-off to 2004 crime film Layer Cake. Entitled Viva La Madness, the new series will be based on author J.J. Connolly’s novel, which picks up with the first story’s anonymous protagonist some years down the line.

The new series would appear to clear up the ambiguity at the end of the original film, which saw Daniel Craig’s character gutshot and bleeding out on the steps of the Stoke Park country club. Viva La Madness will see our hero retired in the Caribbean, but lured back into a life of crime as he gets himself entangled with a Venezuelan drug cartel.

Statham will apparently be executive producing the series alongside Steven Chasman, with a network yet to be attached at this stage. We’d imagine that given the quality of the source material and Statham’s broad appeal, there will be a bit of a scramble for this one…