The Fast & Furious series is set to be expanded in one of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters.
In Hobbs and Shaw, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham return as lawman Agent Hobbs and criminal Shaw in their own spin off. Their love/hate dynamic and physical skills will be tested as they join forces against villain Brixton, played by Idris Elba.
With the film set to be released on Thursday, August 1, both Stratham and Elba give their thoughts on what fans should expect.
Jason Statham says its all about the characters
How would you describe the plot?
It's about two guys that do not want to be in the same room as each other, have to put their differences to one side for the greater good of saving the world.
Was there a moment where you and Dwayne Johnson said ‘let’s go do our own movie?
We did part 8 (The Fate of the Furious) where we had a couple of great moments face to face, and people responded to the animosity and the tension in the room when we were trying to kill each other. We expanded on that and people wanted to see more of it.
This film is a spin off from the Fast and the Furious franchise. What made it so successful?
It's down to the characters. People relate to characters they either like or don't like. The action hero was coined by Arnold (Schwarzenegger) and Sylvester Stallone, there was something about them that was relatable or their humour or there was just something about their personality. We are drawn to see these people overcome the odds.
Idris Elba composed in between scenes
You are the new guy on the block. How do you describe your character?
My character is a human being with an extraordinary ability, he's part machine and this part machine is designed to fight. It's designed for war. He has a big ego. In fact his ego is what might destroy him as opposed to his machinery. He also has a recurring memory that isn't a good one.
How was the experience working with action men Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson?
It's working with the best in their game. They have been action movies for like 20 years. I was like a kid in a candy shop watching these guys do that.
How physically involved were you in the film’s action sequences?
I did a lot of the fighting sequence stunts myself, some of the bike stunts I did myself and that's because (director) David Leitch wants to have you in the frame. We did a lot of training for fitness because he does long takes and we got in there as much as possible.
You wrote a song on your iPad during filming, how did that happen?
There's always set up times in between shots. In that time space I always have something to do and it's typically playing FIFA (football video game) or making music. And I wrote a song that is in the movie. It is in the chase sequence.
Is your DJing and music a second career?
Second career for sure, I've been DJing all my life, but now I can say it's a career because I'm loving it, it's very grounding for me.
