First Look Image of Jason Statham in Death Race
December 28, 2007

If you're a child of the '80s, then you already know that you couldn't walk into a video store without making eye contact with the VHS cover for Death Race 2000, starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. Over thirty years later, Universal Pictures has enlisted executive producer Roger Corman, director Paul W.S. Anderson and action-man Jason Statham plus Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, and Ian McShane to revive and reimagine the cult classic under the name Death Race, which hits theaters in September 2008.

As Universal unleashes its 2008 film slate, which also includes The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the studio has also released the "first look" image of Statham and Death Race. For the goods, check out the image below.

Death Race Synopsis:

"Jason Statham leads the cast of an action-thriller set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop. A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a grisly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks. Now, adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for televised violence and a spectacular arena come together to form the Death Race.

"Three-time speedway champion Jensen Ames (Statham) is an expert at survival in the harsh landscape that has become our country. Just as he thinks he has turned his life around, the ex-con is framed for a gruesome murder he didn’t commit. Forced to don the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein - a crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill—Ames is given an easy choice by Terminal Island’s warden (Joan Allen): suit up or rot away in a cell.

"His face hidden by a metallic mask, one convict will be put through an insane three-day challenge. Ames must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in the country’s toughest prison to claim the prize of freedom. Driving a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, one desperate man will destroy anything in his path to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth."