Here’s how the idea of Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw was born

Ever since their epic showdown in Furious 7, Fast & Furious fans have been longing to see more of the power dynamics between Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Shaw. Now, as Johnson and Statham gear up for the release of Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, which releases on August 2, Johnson opens on how the film actually came into being.

“Once filming began on The Fate of the Furious, Jason and I settled into this easy rhythm,” Johnson says. “Not only did we start to breathe this cool energy into our scenes, but there was a unique chemistry that just started to build between us. It was something that we recognized immediately, but we weren’t the only ones. I remember pulling Hiram [Garcia] and Chris Morgan aside and they agreed. Hobbs and Shaw are two alphas who, even if there is a sliver of common respect between them, hate each other, and that often can be the best impetus in a film.”

What became evident was that Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw should have their own film together. The idea for Hobbs & Shaw was born.

The rivalry and tension between the two characters also gave the writer and producer of the film, Chris Morgan, the opportunity to push the comedy, which had always been present in his Fast films, to the forefront.

Johnson immediately saw the potential for a riotous action comedy. “The Fast franchise is more of an action-drama,” he says. “It’s big; it’s fun; it’s exciting. With Hobbs & Shaw, we’re still in the Fast world, but the premise allows us to pivot creatively into the action-comedy realm, which works on every level.”

Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.

Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) from a script by long time Fast & Furious narrative architect Chris Morgan, the film has been produced by Morgan, Johnson, Statham and Hiram Garcia.

Genre: Action-Thriller

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby and Helen Mirren

Director: David Leitch

Writer: Chris Morgan