Calm down, calm down. Jason Statham, the world's foremost B-Movie star, is not tackling the Michael Mann epic that pitted Al Pacino against Robert De Niro. No, Statham is remaking the Burt Reynolds 'Heat' from 1986, and it was originally going to be helmed by Brian De Palma. Now it's going to be directed by Simon West.

The news comes from EW, and this would be West and Statham's third movie together after their remake of the Charles Bronson film 'The Mechanic' and their most recent collaboration 'The Expendables 2.' Though a third film together may make this seem like a De Niro/Martin Scorsese, Akira Kurosawa/Toshiro Mifune type thing, it's worth noting that Charles Bronson -- who's career is something of a role model for Statham's -- worked with both Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson six times, and in all those cases Bronson seems the greater auteur than the director.

Which also points out that we have mixed feelings about Brian De Palma leaving the project. Though making this movie is the very definition of slumming, it's been a while since De Palma has had a reasonably budgeted film in the theaters, and we're always hopeful he'll have a comeback. On top of which, Statham has done a lot of action, and he's been good at it, but the man can also act. Principle photography is set to begin in February, so we should see 'Heat' in late 2103/early 2014.

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