Although Jason Statham was a strong contender to portray the iconic assassin, the role eventually went to Timothy Olyphant. Widely recognized as a prominent figure in the action genre, Statham has solidified his status as one of the most notable action stars of our time. In addition to his involvement in major action franchises, he once took on a video game movie adaptation, In the Name of the King, which was inspired by the popular Dungeon Siege series.

Although this film was unsuccessful in ending the trend of disappointing video game adaptations, it was not the only project involving a popular gaming franchise that the actor was considering. Surprisingly, the lead actor from the “Transporter” series was also being considered to play the role of a beloved video game character, Agent 47, but unfortunately, he did not end up getting the part.

Jason Statham was previously considered as the leading candidate to portray Agent 47 in the Hitman movie adaptation of the popular video game series created by IO Interactive. However, Timothy Olyphant was eventually cast in the role despite many people believing that the genetically engineered assassin would have been a perfect fit for Statham. Although losing out on the role may have seemed like a setback for him, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the film received poor reviews from critics. On the other hand, Olyphant’s career also suffered a blow as he failed to land one of the biggest roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In 2007, Timothy Olyphant auditioned for the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man, shortly after the release of Hitman. However, Robert Downey Jr. ultimately landed the iconic role and started Marvel’s domination of Hollywood. Despite being scared to try out for big-budget blockbusters, Olyphant auditioned because he thought it would be a fun experience and a chance to become more grounded. Reflecting on his loss of the MCU role years later, The Mandalorian star shared this insight on The Playlist’s Binge Worthy podcast.

The movie “Iron Man” released in 2008. Similarly to Olyphant, Jason Statham was considered by Marvel to appear in their cinematic universe as Captian Britain in “Civil War.” However, this plan never came into action. When asked about his thoughts on the matter, Statham made a joke saying he was too old to star in the MCU.