Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s long-standing relationship is set to extend into a sixth feature film, with the pair set to reunite for action thriller Viva La Madness, Variety has confirmed.
The plot of the film is being kept secret, but it is based on a novel by J. J. Connolly and the sequel to the author’s 2004 acclaimed cult crime drama, Layer Cake.
Viva La Madness was launched by Statham and Thomas Benski (Gangs of London) and is produced by Punch Palace Pictures and Lumina Studios in association with Toph Guy Films. Black Bear is also producing and selling the film internationally, and it will be released at the upcoming American Film Market.
Production is expected to begin in January 2026, with Statham currently the only cast member and Ritchie set to serve as writer and director. Producers include Statham of Punch Palace, Benski of Lumina Studios, Ritchie and Ivan Atkinson of Toph Guy Films, and John Friedberg of Black Bear. Although nothing has been confirmed, the company’s recent expansion into U.S. distribution for Teddy Schwartzman’s Black Bear would make it a likely candidate to release the film domestically.
Viva La Madness, a dark comic filled with sex, fraud, drugs and dirty money, was originally published in 2011, following an anonymous London drug dealer known as X. The original film, Layer Cake, was based on Connolly’s 2000 novel of the same name and marked the directorial debut of Matthew Vaughn, who also produced the Ritchie and Statham blockbuster gangster hit Lock, Stock and Too Smoking. Barrels” and its spiritual successor, “Snatch.” Lauded for its cool style and fast-paced editing, “Layer Cake” starred Daniel Craig, led to her casting as James Bond in 2005, and was reportedly the breakthrough film for Sienna Miller.
Negotiations for a Layer Cake sequel starring Ritchie and Statham have been ongoing for more than a decade, with initial reports dating back to 2013 suggesting Statham was set to play Craig. In 2015, there were reports that the series was being restructured into a TV series in collaboration with Gaumont, but this was later silenced.
Ritchie, who started his career on Lock Stock, has returned to his British crime scene roots in recent years with titles such as The Gentlemen and its Netflix spin-off series, Paramount+ show Mobland and the new Wife and Dog. In addition to “Lock Stock” and “Snatch,” his work with Statham also spans the films “Revolver,” “Fury of the Fury” and “Operation Fortune.”
