Statham to ‘Crank’ out a sequel

Jason Statham is set to reprise the role of Chev Chelios, in Crank 2: High Voltage, for Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment. Filmmaking team Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, are returning to the director's chair for the sequel- which they will shoot back to back with another Lionsgate/ Lakeshore production, the futuristic thriller Game– starring Gerard Butler.

In Crank 2: High Voltage, Chelios faces Chinese mobsters who steal his nearly indestructible heart and replace it with a battery powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep it going.

Huh??? Didn't Statham's Chelios die in the original?

From what Variety is reporting, part II doesn't sound like a prequel. In fact it sounds like the whole thing is getting a bit of a sci-fi spin.

The original Crank was a great little adrenaline rush of a B movie. While not a huge success when it originally came out, it became a cult hit on DVD, similar to another Statham franchise, The Transporter. While the premise of the Crank sequel sounds preposterous, it's worth remembering that the original film was not exactly the most realistic, logical film ever made. The British thesp with muscles is a complete badass on screen, and I'd love to see where they take this potential franchise over more recent  Statham-starrers as War and The Transporter II.