Golden Globe winner Idris Elba has signed on to star opposite Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the upcoming Fast and Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw. According to Variety, Idis Elba is set to play the main villain in the feature ad his character will be the antagonist the duo will go up against. Director David Leitch (Deadpool 2) is on board to helm, with Johnson and Statham reprising their roles as special agent Luke Hobbs and criminal mastermind Deckard Shaw, respectively. “Fast and Furious” architect Chris Morgan penned the script, with production set to commence this fall.
Elba’s no stranger to playing the baddie in popular tentpoles. He previously appeared as the villain in “Star Trek Beyond,” in addition to voicing the famous Shere Khan in Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book.” He’s coming off a busy 2017 that included “The Dark Tower,” “Molly’s Game,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and “The Mountain Between Us.” He most recently helmed the Sundance pic “Yardie.” Elba is currently in production on the Netflix comedy series “Turn Up Charlie,” which he created, and will topline and executive produce.
Universal has tried to find a way to spin off Johnson’s Hobbs character, given his popularity with fans. Statham joined the series in the seventh movie, and considering the chemistry between the two actors in 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious,” Universal took action on plans to develop a spinoff. It hits theatres on July 26, 2019.
Idris Elba is repped by WME, The Artist Partnership, and Ziffren Brittenham.
Source: Variety
