Daniel Craig's Layer Cake character set to return in all-new Guy Ritchie film – and played by very familiar face
Production will kick off in 2026.
Jason Statham will take on the part made famous by Daniel Craig in Matthew Vaughn’s 2004 cult hit, Layer Cake, in a new film by Guy Ritchie.
Titled Viva La Madness, the new movie will be based on JJ Connolly’s 2011 novel of the same name, the follow-up to Layer Cake, but is being billed as a stand-alone, original feature that is completely unrelated to Layer Cake or anything Connolly has written, according to Variety.
The first film largely stuck to its source material, revolving around an anonymous London-based dealer, known as X, who’s planning to retire when he’s pulled into a dangerous drug deal.
The movie was led by Craig, in a role that reportedly led to his casting as James Bond in 2005.
The plot of Ritchie’s film is yet to be confirmed, but its source material continues the story of X (Statham), who’s now left his criminal activities behind and moved to the Caribbean.
His peaceful existence soon comes under threat, however, when two British gangsters show up on his paradise island.
Statham is currently the only actor attached to Viva La Madness, while Ritchie is listed as the writer and director.
The film’s producers include Ritchie and Ivan Atkinson (Toff Guy Films), Statham (Punch Palace), Thomas Benski (Lumina Studios) and John Friedberg (Black Bear).
Production is set to kick off in January 2026.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
