Idris Elba in final talks to play baddie in ‘Fast and Furious’ spinoff

MANILA, Philippines – There aren’t a lot of actors who can convincingly square off with both Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson on-screen, but Idris Elba is one of them.

According to Variety, the British actor is reportedly in final talks to play villain opposite Statham and Johnson in the upcoming Fast and Furious spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw.

The film will see the revival of two beloved characters from the Fast series: special agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson), and military man-turned-mercenary Deckard Shaw (Statham).

While the two characters were once at odds, the most recent movie in the series, The Fate of the Furious, sees a truce between the two, and the upcoming film will reportedly see them banding together against Elba’s character.

Elba briefly appeared in Avengers: Infinity War as a decidedly good guy Heimdall, but he does have villainous acting credits, including his role as Krall in Star Trek Beyond, and his voice role as Shere Khan in Jungle Book.

The spinoff will be directed by Deadpool 2′s David Leitch, with Fast and Furious’ Chris Morgan writing the script.

Hobbs and Shaw is set to hit US cinemas on July 26, 2019. – Rappler.com