Jason Statham has revealed he would like to work with Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan.

The action star said the two filmmakers are top of his wish list, but admitted those type of roles aren't normally offered to him.

"There's a ton of people I want to work with. Scorsese, Chris Nolan, all these people who make good movies would fit the list. But things like that don't come my way," he said.

Jason's latest film role in Steven Knight's action drama Hummingbird sees him playing Joey Jones - a former Special Forces soldier who is forced to resort to drastic measures in order to survive on the streets. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with a nun, played by Polish actress Agata Buzek.

He admitted the opportunity to do a gritty drama appealed to him.

"I make a lot of films that don't have much depth to them - they're more like popcorn movies. I've been hungry for something like this for some time, where I can show more emotion. So when this came my way, I jumped up and down," he said.

"This is not a stunt extravaganza, believe me. It's a really sweet story about a man who shares a dark secret with someone completely different."

Jason did a lot of research to prepare for the part.

"We went to the homeless charity Connection and spent time with ex-soldiers. We spoke to an orthopaedic surgeon who talked about injuries and a psychologist who spoke about mental health issues, as well as chaps from the British Legion and the armed forces."

:: Hummingbird is in cinemas now.