“Parker 2” with Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez never came out.
Parker 2 never came out because of the original film and also because of Jason Statham’s career path. The Parker movie came out in 2013 and was based on the 2000 novel A Flash of Fire, part 19 of the Donald E. Westlake book series, so there’s a lot of source material that could be adapted for a sequel. And franchises aside, Parker 2 never got the green light from executives, even at a time when a sequel could thrive on the popular streaming service.
Written by John J. and directed by Taylor Hackford (Ray), Parker remains a crime thriller. Jason Statham plays the protagonist, a professional thief who
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lives by a certain code of honor in order to minimize the chaos in his life. After a failed robbery, Parker is left for dead by his accomplices, and then, after being rescued, he seeks revenge. Parker stars alongside Jennifer Lopez as Leslie Cienfuegos Rogers and Michael Chiklis as the main villain Melander.
Parker 2 was never made due to the perceived mediocrity of the original film. Reviews and critics were unimpressed with the storyline and pointed to the lack of depth in Statham’s character. Parker does all the heist thriller plot twists you’d expect, but doesn’t add a lot of secondary detail to the main anti-hero.
To be fair, the filmmakers may have assumed that the sequel would allow them to flesh out Statham’s character, but the poor box office performance and average reviews suggested that the sequel would be a poor investment and the film would not perform well. While many B-level action films could easily become cult classics, Parker simply didn’t resonate with audiences despite a promising plot involving impoverished real estate agent Lopez. In addition, in these years, Statham’s career reached new levels of heights after the release of Parker, especially the Fast and the Furious franchise. It goes without saying that Statham would not have returned to Parker 2 even if Statham had been given the chance.
Parker certainly has a lot to enjoy. The first half shows Statham portraying a Texas cowboy and follows a structure about revenge. However, Parker suddenly turns on Leslie in the middle and never explores the romance between her and Statham’s character. Instead, Lopez is used for comedic relief and as a way to highlight Parker’s moral code, as he is still in a relationship with a woman named Claire, portrayed by Emma Booth. Lopez’s performance is arguably the biggest selling point, but her lack of screen time leads to a disappointing climax.
Parker has been a big hit on Netflix because he ticks the boxes for curious streamers.
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Statham, an actor who is mostly associated with action movies, who keeps viewers informed of what to expect. Of course, Lopez and Chiklis are also the main characters and also show above average performance to keep Netflix subscribers intrigued, even if the story is really predictable. In the age of streaming, Parker’s formulaic design and streaming success suggest that the sequel could potentially be a Netflix original, assuming Statham wants to reprise his role.