Jason Statham's The Beekeeper 2 casting confirms the return of a major character, and it's not Lazarus

Jason Statham's next action sequel, The Beekeeper 2, has officially secured another familiar face. While fans already knew the British action star would return as Adam Clay, it's now confirmed that Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons is also returning in a report by Deadline, published on September 3, 2025.

The news adds new excitement to the highly anticipated sequel, which follows the unexpected box office success of the 2024 film.

The original film was a sleeper hit for Amazon MGM Studios, earning over $160 million worldwide on a budget of just 40 million. Now, with Jason Statham returning and new production details in place, The Beekeeper 2 is looking to be another big entry in the actor's action-packed filmography.

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Who is returning for The Beekeeper 2 apart from Jason Statham?

Jeremy Irons at amfAR Salzburg 2025 (Image Via Getty)

According to Deadline, Jeremy Irons will return to the role of Wallace Westwyld, the former CIA director who served as head of security for Danforth Enterprises in the first film.

It's a rare return for the veteran actor, who has rarely reprised past roles on the big screen. Aside from playing Alfred Pennyworth in several DC films and reprising his voice work as Scar in Disney's anniversary short Once Upon a Studio, Irons generally prefers new characters.

His return in The Beekeeper 2 indicates that Wallace's story has unfinished business and may tie into larger narrative threads from the first film.

Jason Statham fans will also be interested to know that the return of Wallace comes in place of Lazarus (played by Taylor James), a mercenary character many speculated would be central to the sequel. The confirmation makes Irons the biggest name to join Statham so far in the returning cast.

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What is Jason Statham's The Beekeeper about?

The original Beekeeper focused on Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a former government assassin who attempted to live quietly as a beekeeper in Massachusetts. His quiet life was disrupted when his elderly landlady, Eloise Parker, took her own life after being swindled in a phishing scam.

Driven by grief, Clay sought vengeance against the scammers, putting him at odds with an international criminal network and law enforcement.

The movie balanced high-octane action with a contemporary cautionary tale of online scams and corporate corruption. Jason Statham's performance grounded the story, earning credit for bringing both emotional heft and the sort of brutal, efficient fight choreography fans expect from him. With its blend of revenge-driven drama and high-speed combat, the movie found a strong following, helping it overperform at the box office.

Though Jason Statham returns in the lead and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer is back, the director's chair will be different this time around. David Ayer, who directed the original, is not directing the sequel due to scheduling conflicts with another film. Instead, Timo Tjahjanto, best known for The Night Comes for Us and Nobody 2, has been hired to direct.

Production on The Beekeeper 2 is set to start in the fall, with Miramax producing again and Amazon MGM Studios distributing. Jason is still closely involved, producing under his Punch Palace Productions banner alongside other major producers.

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For the unversed, the release date for The Beekeeper 2 has not yet been announced.