Later this summer Idris Elba is releasing his directorial debut Yardie — but don’t go thinking that he’s putting acting on the back-burner. He’s just taken on a major new role, with Variety reporting that he's now lined up as the villain for Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw. Yes — that means Elba vs. The Rock and Jason Statham.
Little is known about what Elba’s role will entail, but the script is currently being worked on by Chris Morgan who’s written every Fast entry since Tokyo Drift. Behind the camera is David Leitch, of John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2 fame. Earlier this week is was confirmed that The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby has joined the cast as the latest member of the Shaw family — making her the daughter of Helen Mirren’s Magdalene, and sister of Luke Evans’ Owen and Statham’s Deckard. Quite the family tree.
While the spin-off does mean a delay for Fast 9, this is getting more and more exciting with every announcement. Hobbs and Shaw is set to explode into cinemas next summer on 26 July.
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