Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie are set to work together again on "Dogfight," a revenge-driven action film in development at Netflix, according to a report published Tuesday. The reunion pairs one of modern action cinema's most durable stars with the filmmaker who introduced him to American audiences, and it lands at a streaming service that has increasingly bet on big-name action vehicles.

The project's title carries a recognizable name, though the Netflix film is not connected to the 1991 drama of the same name. That earlier "Dogfight," directed by Nancy Savoca, starred River Phoenix as Eddie Birdlace, an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer preparing to ship out to Vietnam with three buddies in the fall of 1963. Their final night in San Francisco becomes the occasion for a cruel contest the Marines call a "dogfight." The film, a drama with a strong romantic thread and a cast that also included Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco and Anthony Clark, ran 94 minutes and was released on October 4, 1991. It holds a 6.9 rating out of 10 on TMDb. The new Netflix project shares only the title.

For Statham and Ritchie, "Dogfight" marks another chapter in a partnership that dates back more than two decades. Ritchie's 1998 crime comedy "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" gave Statham his breakthrough role, and the two reteamed on 2000's "Snatch." They later worked together again on 2005's "Revolver" and the 2021 film "Wrath of Man," a revenge thriller that showed how comfortably the director's hard-edged style fits the star's screen persona. A revenge action film would keep both men in familiar territory: Ritchie's recent output has leaned heavily on tough, fast-talking genre pictures, while Statham has built a career on playing relentless men settling scores.

Netflix has not commented publicly on the project, and no release date, production schedule or additional cast has been announced. The film's title, premise and the involvement of Statham and Ritchie were first reported Tuesday.

A reunion between the two is notable less for novelty than for reliability. Ritchie launched Statham's career, and Statham has since become one of the few action stars whose name alone can sell a film across global markets. Pairing them again on a revenge story gives Netflix a package with built-in appeal to the audience that made "Wrath of Man" a draw, and it fits the company's strategy of stocking its library with star-driven action titles that travel well beyond the United States.

The choice of title may raise eyebrows among film fans old enough to remember Savoca's version, which was praised on release for its tender, melancholy take on a story about young men on the brink of war. That film, made in English by a Hollywood studio, remains a small, well-regarded drama rather than any kind of franchise. The Netflix "Dogfight" appears to have no narrative link to it. Still, the shared name risks confusion in search results and on social media, a wrinkle that could have been avoided with a different title.

What the new film will actually look like remains unknown. Details about the plot beyond its revenge framing have not surfaced, and it is unclear whether Ritchie will direct from his own script or work from another writer's draft. Statham's recent slate has mixed high-concept action with ensemble work, and his schedule could shape how quickly "Dogfight" moves forward. Ritchie, for his part, has been remarkably prolific in recent years, juggling crime films and larger studio projects, so the timing of the Netflix shoot will depend on how his commitments line up.

For now, the announcement is a reminder of how central the Statham-Ritchie pairing remains to both careers. Statham's rise began in Ritchie's London underworld, and Ritchie's films have repeatedly benefited from the actor's unflashy physicality. A revenge action film produced by Netflix gives them a fresh canvas and a global platform. Whether the result lives up to the history between them will not be known until cameras roll and audiences get a look. What is certain is that the two men who helped define a strain of British crime cinema at the turn of the century are heading back into the same corner of the business, this time with a streaming giant backing the fight.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter