For fans who are already hyped forHobbs and Shaw, starDwayne Johnsonwants you to know “You are going to f‑‑‑ing love this movie.” That’s a pretty standard line for the star of a big blockbuster, but I actually believe The Rock when he tells us (or rather,EW) that “There’s going to be some big, ‘Oh, holy sh‑‑, I did not see that coming’ moments.” But at its core it will be familiar; “Honor, a ride-or-die spirit, and above all else, family comes before anything. So I do think we delivered on that. Again, it was very, very important to us. Because this is now fourFastmovies that I’ve done, so I understand the power of that, because it’s ingrained in my DNA.”
TheFast and Furiousspinoff pairs Johnson’s Luke Hobbs withJason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, taking advantage of their great chemistry. As Johnson explains it, “I guess a good way to describe it is you have two guys who don’t really like each other, love to slap each other around, always think that they’re right, and will always have each other’s back — but they will never admit it.”
Johnson also explained how the idea for the movie came about, saying “whenFurious 7came along, it was afterFurious 7that we were going to do the spinoff, but then, of course, withthe passing ofPaul [Walker]and the incredible amount of heartache that that had caused not only his family but certainly the world and us, we felt like, let’s put that on hold and let’s put all of our focus and attention onFast 8.” He continued,
“And it was inFast 8, to get you an answer, it was finding it inFast 8that when Jason and I sat down early, before we started shooting, we thought, what if we had an opportunity here where we created two characters that were biting, yet would do it a winking way, that they actually enjoyed talking sh‑‑ to each other and in a really weird way enjoyed beating the sh‑‑ out of each other as well. [Laughs.] And then afterwards, hey, let’s sit down and have a drink. And we recognized very quickly that we had this cool and unique bond. I’ve known Jason for a very long time, and we felt like, hey, let’s give this a shot. Let’s lean into the chemistry and let’s lean into some comedy and see where it goes. “
Johnson also spoke about the aesthetic that directorDavid Leitchbrings toHobbs and Shaw, which is less about those massive, explosive set pieces and making it a little more personal, with action that matches the character and story. “He just did the newDeadpoolandJohn WickandAtomic Blonde, so you can see the stylistic approach that David has,” as Johnson explained.
There’s also a lot of excitement over the advent ofIdris Elbaas the movie’s villain. In talking about how that came about and what we can maybe expect from his character, Johnson said:
“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.”
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shawopens July 14, 2025. For even more coverage of the movie, check out these recent stories:
