Facing off against the combined might of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham takes a serious badass, but that’s just what Hobbs & Shaw has got in the shape of Idris Elba. He’s playing Brixton in this summer’s Fast and Furious spinoff, and he’s been relentlessly hyped up by Johnson on social media.
So far, we’ve seen pictures of him on set, but now we get our first proper look at the character in advance of Friday’s trailer. Though the promo video below is just ten seconds long, I’ve got to admit that Elba looks absolutely incredible in it. What’s also interesting is that he’s clearly wearing a superhero-inspired costume and that the tweet that accompanied the clip describes him as “Superhuman” and “Bulletproof.”
I’m betting that this is a sly little commentary on how the Fast and Furious franchise is now one of the few billion dollar properties that’s not based on superheroes. Given that we can assume Hobbs and Shaw triumph over Brixton, perhaps this is a kind of commentary on how gasoline-fuelled, oil-soaked action will ultimately triumph over comic book heroes at the box office?
Whatever the case, I can’t wait to see Idris Elba in action. Johnson’s previously described his character as being “the baddest, most diabolical, most dominant and coolest bad guy the Fast & Furious franchise has ever seen” and that he’s been “kickin’ the shit outta me for 14 hrs daily.” Also, in his unveiling of the villain, he promises that he’s going to “wreak havoc, hell and mayhem on our heroes.”
If Elba really is that great in the role, the Fast and Furious has a history of villains turning into heroes, so perhaps he could return as the newest member of the family in a Hobbs & Shaw sequel?