Dwayne Johnson has posted a photo from his forthcoming spinoff Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, revealing his character Hobbs’ four brothers. Given the current success of the franchise, it’s strange to think there was a time it looked like the Fast & Furious series wouldn’t make it past its third entry. The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift featured an all-new cast and characters, and while the movie was a modest success, there didn’t seem to be much excitement for another instalment. That said, a brief cameo by Vin Diesel in the final scene got fans interested in seeing the actor return for a new entry.
Diesel actually agreed to the cameo in exchange for the rights to the Riddick franchise, but the reaction to his surprise appearance convinced the studio to reunite the cast of the original movie. Fast & Furious would eventually gross almost double that of Tokyo Drift, and it was decided Fast Five would switch up the formula from street racing to a heist movie. It also introduced Dwayne Johnson as Hobbs, an unstoppable federal agent tasked with capturing the crew. The role revived Johnson’s somewhat flagging leading man career, and the character would return for each subsequent movie. The chemistry between Johnson and Jason Statham in The Fate Of The Furious was enough to convince the studio a standalone movie between the two could work, and a spinoff titled Hobbs & Shaw was soon given a greenlight.
Related: Fast & Furious Spinoff Casts Roman Reigns As Hobbs’ Brother
Given the franchise’s focus on family, it’s no surprise Hobbs & Shaw will dive even deeper into the family history of both heroes. Vanessa Kirby will play Shaw’s MI6 agent sister, while Johnson recently revealed WWE star Roman Reigns will play his brother. Now Johnson has posted a photo on Instagram introducing all four of Hobbs’ brothers, played by Reigns, Josh Mauga, John Tui and Cliff Curtis. They’re based in Western Samoa and run a business called ‘Hobbs Customs’ that builds vintage cars – which should be a good excuse for the movie to feature some nice-looking new vehicles that quickly get destroyed.
Hobbs & Shaw will see the reluctant duo having to team up once more against a villain named Brixton (Idris Elba). The movie will be directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman best known as co-director of John Wick and sole helmer on Deadpool 2. While giving Shaw – arguably the most popular character in the series – his own movie feels like a given, it seems to be somewhat controversial behind the scenes. It was originally teased in a post-credit sequence for The Fate Of The Furious until Vin Diesel reportedly insisted on it being removed. Diesel and Johnson famously had a falling out working on that entry, and it seems the two may never work together again. Longtime franchise producer Neal Moritz is also suing Universal over the production.
Despite this, fans are eagerly awaiting Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Vin Diesel recently confirmed a female-led Fast & Furious spinoff is also moving forward, though no plot details having been confirmed at this point. Fast & Furious 9 itself will arrive in April 2020.
More: New Hobbs & Shaw Images Hypes The Summer’s ‘Biggest Showdown’
Key Release Dates
Hobbs and Shaw
Release Date:2019-08-02F9: The Fast Saga1
Release Date:2021-06-25