Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham to Star in ‘Fast & Furious’ Spin-Off
The spin-off, which will continue the unlikely union between Johnson’s federal agent Luke Hobbs and Furious 7 villain-turned-Fate of the Furious ally Decker Shaw, played by Jason Statham, would arrive prior to the ninth installment of the box office-shattering franchise, Deadline reports.
The film is still in the development stage, and given Johnson’s upcoming schedule – he’s attached to nearly a dozen projects, including a San Andreas sequel, a Big Trouble in Little China reboot, a blockbuster revolving around DC superhero Black Adam and a film about Forties pulp adventurer Doc Savage – it’s unclear when the actor will even have time to film the spin-off, which would be written by Fate of the Furious scribe Chris Morgan.
According to the Wrap, the latest Fast & Furious chapter originally sported a post-credits sequence that would have hinted at Hobbs and Shaw’s future adventures together, but series star Vin Diesel demanded that the scene be removed; Diesel and Johnson reportedly feuded during the Fate of the Furious filming, with the former WWE star calling the actor a “candy ass.”
However, with the success of The Fate of the Furious – the film smashed Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ record for opening week worldwide box office – Diesel and Johnson have since settled their beef ahead of the inevitable Volume 9 of The Fast and the Furious.