If a third Crank movie is ever made, actor Jason Statham tells PC Gamer that he's "both pumped and a bit wary" to find out what absurd new premise will keep Chev alive for the duration of the film. The actor also gave us an off-hand idea of his own for what Crank 3 could be about—given that he's promoting an appearance in World of Tanks, it unsurprisingly had to do with tanks, but I'd watch it.
Statham is the celebrity star of this year's World of Tanks Holiday Ops event, and Wargaming offered us the opportunity to ask the actor a handful of questions by email, mediated by the developer. We slipped in a few non-tank-related inquiries, and along with telling us whether he could beat Santa in a fight (he thinks he could), Statham answered a couple questions about the Crank movies, which to my mind are the most memorable films he's appeared in—and to draw an admittedly loose connection to PC gaming, pretty videogame-like (you even used to be able to buy Crank 2 on Steam).
The first Crank, released in 2006, casts the action star as a hitman named Chev who has to give himself a constant adrenaline rush or die by synthetic poison. In the sequel, Crank 2: High Voltage, Chev has to shock himself to charge the internal battery of an artificial heart. They're like Speed with all responsibility to others stripped out—cynical, myopic, frantic.
Both movies were directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the duo that later made Gamer with Gerard Butler. I put to Statham that the Crank movies have some videogame-like features themselves.
"Yes, I agree. To me, the Crank films have some elements of videogames," wrote Statham. "First, there's Chev—this high-adrenaline character who's up against waves of enemies all at once. He's never stopping, throwing punches, dodging attacks, and using all sorts of skills to take down whoever gets in his way. He's 'leveling up' as he goes, figuring out new ways to fight, survive, and push forward.
"Second, if you think of it like a game, Crank is a movie about keeping that health bar full. Chev's gotta keep moving forward, like a shark, to keep his heart going strong and his health 'in the green.'"
A third Crank hasn't been confirmed, and Neveldine and Taylor haven't made a film together since Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, but the Crank-heads out there remain expectant. I asked Statham if he's got any ideas of his own for what premise might drive Chev forward if they ever made a Crank 3. He stayed on message by offering a tank-related scenario.
"There's really no idea too crazy to get tossed out," wrote Statham. "If Crank 3 ever happens, I'm both pumped and a bit wary about what they'll throw at me.
"Who knows? They could put me in a tank powered by a hybrid engine, generating energy as I roll through anything in my way. That's how they could keep Chev's heart beating faster. Honestly, I think Chev would be up for it."
Yeah, why not—I'm down. Staying on the topic of tanks, the World of Tanks Holiday Ops event will bring Statham into the game on December 6—you can find details on the official World of Tanks site.
