Nobody knows quite what to expect from the first spinoff of the Fast & Furious franchise. The new film starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham will follow their characters from the series, but isn't even using the Fast & Furious name to help promote it, implying we're in for a very different sort of film with Hobbs and Shaw. However, the real X-factor of the movie might be its villain, played by Idris Elba. Dwayne Johnson recently talked up the role big time, putting over Elba as the biggest badass in the history of the franchise. According to Johnson...
Our goal with Idris to make him the baddest villain the franchise has ever seen. Coming in, he is undefeated. And for a guy who is undefeated, three men enter and either one man leaves or two leave. And I say that respectfully because there have been so many bad guys who we've had over the years. But Idris is the perfect guy. Obviously, he's a phenomenal actor, really brings a great weight and quality to the role --- and a viability. He's a big man and he's a legitimate badass and a legitimate martial artist. I'll tell you this, the past 10 days have been the finale; we've been shooting the big main event between us and Brixton. We've been fighting and it's been pretty badass and painful, but great.
Exactly how the character of Brixton fits into the story of Hobbs and Shaw is not exactly clear. He's some sort of criminal mastermind, who, as Johnson says here, has never been defeated. Why he crosses paths with Hobbs and/or Shaw, we don't really know, but certainly, we can expect that somebody like Hobbs would love to take down a criminal like this.
The Rock also makes a point in his interview with EW to tease a massive blowout finale that we will apparently be treated to in the new film. Dwayne Johnson says that Idris Elba is a legitimate martial artist, which certainly has the potential to make any fight scene that much more impressive.
So far, the only image of Idris Elba in character that we've seen has come from Dwayne Johnson's always refreshing Instagram. We see him leading a small army and looking like he's ready to take down anything. There's no denying he looks like a badass. Check it out.
With three major stars like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba, on board for Hobbs and Shaw it sounds like we're really going to be getting something special on the screen when the film finally arrives. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until the summer for that, as the film is set for an August release.
