Director David Leitch has warned Fast and Furious fans that Dwayne Johnson’s spin-off movie will be about more than just cars.
The pedal to the metal franchise has become one of cinema’s most successful, with eight mainstream films to date.
While some of his co-stars aren't happy about Dwayne’s character Luke Hobbs getting his own movie with Jason Statham’s alter ego Deckard Shaw, the project is pushing on, and will hit cinemas next year (19).
“We really do want to set off on our own specific journey with these characters,” the Hobbs and Shaw filmmaker said, reports Cinema Blend. “If you look at the worlds that they come from in the franchise, they're not from the street racing world. The first movies in Fast, it was all about street racing, and then it became sort of a heist franchise, and then it became a spy franchise.
“I think Jason's character is definitely from the spy world, and Dwayne's character is more of an agent, right? Working with the government. We're going to lean more into their worlds. But I think we still want the same sort of level of spectacle and fun that the Fast (movies) have.”
Fast star Tyrese Gibson has previously blamed former wrestler Dwayne for holding up production of the ninth instalment, though the actor now says he is unsure whether Hobbs will even return to the main franchise.
The character joined in 2011 for Fast Five, and Dwayne compares the solo move to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"At the end of the day, it's smart business to expand on the franchise and build it out," he told Rolling Stone. "It's the Marvel model. The analogy that was given to me, which was very funny, was that it's like if Robert Downey, Jr. was p***ed about 'Captain America' and these other movies. Let it all happen! Let it all grow. It helps out everybody.
"Regardless of a few who don't want it to happen, for whatever reasons, I know that big picture, long-term, a buildout is the best thing for everybody.”
