Universal Pictures released a new trailer for Hobbs & Shaw, the first spinoff film from the Fast & Furious franchise, and along with providing the expected amount of over-the-top action and ridiculous stunts, it also introduces Idris Elba as — in his words — Black Superman.
Directed by Deadpool 2 filmmaker David Leitch from a script penned by longtime Fast & Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan, Hobbs & Shaw brings Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham back from the last few Fast & Furious films to reprise their roles as the titular Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, respectively. The film brings the two characters together in a reluctant team-up that has them tracking down a genetically enhanced anarchist played by Elba in order to prevent him from unleashing a dangerous bio-weapon on the world.
Along with bringing back Hobbs, an agent for the Diplomatic Security Service, and Shaw, a former British black ops agent who went rogue in earlier installments of the Fast & Furious franchise, the film also introduces Shaw’s sister, an MI6 agent played by Vanessa Kirby (The Crown). Elba’s character, Brixton, also makes his debut in the film, offering the movie’s larger-than-life lead characters an opponent who might be both smarter and stronger than them.
The first trailer for Hobbs & Shaw debuted in February — and if you expected the series to lose a little momentum without its veteran cast members, you were in for a surprise.
As with previous installments of the franchise, Hobbs & Shaw was filmed in a variety of international locations, with portions of the film set in Los Angeles and London, as well as Chernobyl and Samoa.
Hobbs & Shaw is the first spinoff film from the Fast & Furious franchise, which has spawned eight films and collectively earned more than $1.5 billion in U.S. theaters and $5.1 billion worldwide, making it one of Hollywood’s highest-grossing movie franchises.
The first film in the series — The Fast and the Furious — was released in 2001 and starred Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, and after two mediocre sequels, the series came back in a big way with 2009’s Fast and Furious, which brought together the cast of the first three films and established a connected timeline for the series. The most recent installment of the series, 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, earned $226 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide.
Hobbs & Shaw hits theaters August 2 and is produced by Morgan, Johnson, Statham, and Hiram Garcia. The executive producers on the film are Kelly McCormick, Dany Garcia, Steven Chasman, Ethan Smith, and Ainsley Davies.
