Idris Elba Is Reportedly Going To Be The Villain In 'Fast And Furious' Spin-Off

What with the news that there's going to be a new season of BBC drama Luther, plus his recent roles in The Dark Tower, Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, it's fair to say that Idris Elba is on something of a roll right now.

Well, it turns out his winning streak is continuing. It looks like the 45-year-old actor, producer and DJ will probably play the main antagonist in Hobbs And Shaw, the terribly-titled spinoff of the Fast And Furious franchise starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jason Statham (who play Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw respectively, hence the film's awful name. Seriously - what gives?

Anyway, according to Variety, Idris is in final negotiations to play the evil villain that Hobbs and Shaw go up against. Which is exciting. Especially as the offshoot will be directed by Deadpool 2 director David Leitch.

As a character, Hobbs first appeared in the fifth instalment of the uber-successful film franchise, while Shaw turned up in the seventh movie. And while it seems they'll still be making sequels long after the world ends, this spin-off will focus on that specific pair of characters as the team up to save the world.

That all arose after the pair's clear chemistry in the 2017's The Fate Of The Furious, and it's definitely an exciting development.

Production is apparently due to begin in the autumn and is scheduled to hit the big screen in late July 2019. So there's only a year and bit to go.

For Idra, it's another checkmark on a career that's truly been blowing up recently and which saw him earn an OBE for his services to drama in 2016. And last year, he won the male title for Britain's Rear Of The Year award.

Fuck the Oscar's - surely that's the pinnacle of every actor's career. Did Laurence Olivier ever win Rear Of The Year? No, he didn't.

He also wasn't a kickboxer, which Idris was for a short time.

An incredibly short time, in fact - he fought just one fight, which he won. So he's unbeaten in that sport, too. What a hero.

And you know what - put him and The Rock in the ring and we bet he could kick Dwayne Johnson's butt. Now there's an idea for a spin-off of the spin-off.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: idris elba, TV and Film, The Rock, US Entertainment

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]