Transporter (French: Le Transporteur) is a French action thriller film franchise, comprising four films released between 2002 and 2015, and a television series. Jason Statham plays Frank Martin in the first three movies, a professional freelance courier driver. Chris Vance portrays Martin in the sequel television series, and Ed Skrein portrays him in the fourth film, a reboot.
Background
Frank Martin is the protagonist of the films and television series. He is portrayed as a former Special Forces operative who was team leader of a search and destroy unit, with a military background including operations "in and out of" Lebanon, Syria and Sudan, as well as a recipient of the Bronze Star. He retires from service after becoming fatigued and disenchanted with his superior officers, and uses his skills as a private driver for hire while maintaining an apparently legitimate life living off of his army pension. Martin operates in accordance with a strict code of conduct, and expects his clients to adhere to his rules. The character is portrayed with varied backgrounds in different installments of the franchise. In the television series, it is revealed that he was orphaned as a child, enlisted in the British Army as an adult and later transferred to Special Air Service. In the film, The Transporter Refueled, his father Frank Martin Sr. is a former British spy who retires to work on his relationship with his son.