Dwayne Johnson says 'Hobbs & Shaw' sequel in development

Universal has given the greenlight to a sequel to 'Hobbs & Shaw'. Dwayne Johnson has revealed that development is currently underway on the project.

 Last year, the 'Fast and Furious' franchise expanded with a spin-off centered on Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. Though the film received some criticism, it was generally well-received and earned an impressive $760.4 million worldwide. 

The success of 'Hobbs and Shaw' led many to assume a sequel would be developed to explore the stories set up at the end of the spin-off, though nothing concrete has been announced since the film debuted. However, the wrestler turned actor confirmed in an Instagram Q&A session that a sequel is being actively developed and the creative team behind the first film are trying to figure what direction the story can take:

"We are developing now the next film, the next [Hobbs & Shaw] movie, and I’m pretty excited about it…Just gotta figure out the creative right now, and the direction we’re going to go," Johnson said.

Given the film’s generally positive reviews and large box office gross, it was expected fans would be seeing another chapter of the action espionage hit and with screenwriter Chris Morgan and director David Leitch leaving multiple threads for the possible future, including the identity of Idris Elba’s Brixton’s boss, audiences were left with reasons to come back. 

Leitch and Morgan reportedly wanted Keanu Reeves (John Wick) for the role of Eteon corporation, so should a script be done in time for a gap in Reeves’ scheduling between the next John Wick and Matrix films, fans could look forward to an against-type character for the revitalized action hero.

In addition to Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver), Eddie Marsan and Idris Elba (The Dark Tower, Avengers: Infinity War) also star.