Variety reports that Idris Elba is in final negotiations to play the main villain in “Hobbs and Shaw,” the “Fast and Furious” spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. While the initial report was that Idris Elba was in “final negotiations” to play the villain in the upcoming spinoff, it would seem that Dwayne Johnson is confirming the role by using Instagram to welcome Idris Elba to the film. Johnson says he’s ready to “dance” with Elba. The film will see the often-at-odds pair teaming up. Sources say Elba’s character is the antagonist the duo will go up against.
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.
Since his arrival in the franchise’s fifth installment, 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 theaters on July 26, 2019.
Do you love The Fast and the Furious franchise? Which one is your favorite? Are you looking forward to seeing this spinoff come to life? Tell Nerdbot about it in the comments and get the conversation rolling!
