The buzz keeps building for “The Beekeeper 2.”
Pom Klementieff (“Mission: Impossible,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) and pro wrestler-turned-actor Adam Copeland (“Percy Jackson and the Olympians”) are the latest to join the cast of the Jason Statham-starring action thriller.
“The Beekeeper,” about a former government assassin who comes out of retirement in a quest for vengeance, was a box office hit last year, grossing $162 million worldwide. Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi and Jemma Redgrave will also reprise their roles in the sequel, distributed worldwide by Amazon MGM Studios and produced and financed by Miramax, with Yara Shahidi as a new addition to the cast.
Plot details about “The Beekeeper 2″ — including Klementieff and Copeland’s characters — are being kept under wraps, but the film is now in production. The sequel is directed by Timo Tjahjanto (“Nobody 2,” “The Shadow Strays”) and written by Kurt Wimmer, who penned the first film. (David Ayer directed the previous installment.) Producers include Statham via his Punch Palace Productions banner, Chris Long via Longshot Productions and Wimmer.
Klementieff, who is best known for playing Mantis in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, recently starred opposite Tom Cruise in the last two “Mission: Impossible” movies, “Dead Reckoning” and “Final Reckoning.” Outside of the MCU (including “Avengers: Endgame” and “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”), Klementieff’s film and TV credits also include Spike Lee’s “Oldboy,” “Ingrid Goes West,” “Killer’s Game,” “Newness,” “Thunderforce,” HBO’s “Westworld,” Netflix’s “Black Mirror” and the upcoming French thriller “Mi Amor,” directed by Guillaume Nicloux.
Copeland parlayed a successful 20-year pro wrestling career (where he was known by the ring name Edge) into acting. He most recently starred as Ares in the hit Disney+ series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The performance earned him a nomination at the Children’s and Family Emmys.
Klementieff is repped by CAA, Range and 42West; and Copeland is managed by Daniel Abrams at OAZ and Samantha Hill at HillTop Entertainment.
