David Leitch Confirmed To Helm Fast And Furious’ Hobbs/Shaw Spin-Off

Eight instalments in. But The Fast And The Furious franchise shows no signs of slowing down, especially if you consider the box office takings of last year’s outing The Fate Of The Furious ($1.2 billion worldwide).

Yet with much scrutiny still over the working relationship between series mainstay Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson whose character Luke Hobbs was introduced in Fast Five. Along with the blossoming bromance Johnson has formed on-screen with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. It’s hardly a surprise Universal Pictures are looking to capitalise with a hotly-anticipated spin-off.

Confirmed on Twitter earlier today. The ninth film in the series solely focusing on Hobbs/Shaw will be directed by David Leitch, who has certainly proved his high-octane action credentials already with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron. Next month, we’ll see if he can build on the initial 2016 success for Ryan Reynolds’ merc with a mouth, with ‘Deadpool 2’.

Up next for Statham is shark horror ‘The Meg’, with Dwayne Johnson currently starring in videogame adaptation Rampage.

The Hobbs and Shaw spin-off is slated for a July 2019 release.