It's been a few months since we learned that Deadpool 2's director David Leitch was also announced as the director of Hobbs and Shaw, the new Fast & Furious spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Of course, this means the director has been getting a lot of questions about what it means to take on two incredibly well-known franchises. Leitch recently explained why both franchises have been "incredible" so far, and why he ultimately opted to take on the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff. He said:
Look, I'm just so grateful to be involved in both of these franchises. It's been an incredible experience working with Ryan on Deadpool, and it's actually been really fun starting to press this movie with Dwayne and Jason. I couldn't be happier. I have done quite a few movies with Jason as a second unit director and a choreographer. I know him really well. I think what attracted me to that franchise is they really want to do something different. They understood that I wanted to sort of evolve their world, outside of the Fast world, and give it its own imprint. Obviously, like we did with Deadpool, you're expanding, you're evolving, but you're still being true to the DNA and the core of the characters that people love. I love that challenge, and doing it with Dwayne and Jason is like a dream. Those guys are hardworking, talented actors.
David Leitch is one lucky son of a gun, and it's clear he knows it. Not only did he get to step into the Deadpool franchise in order to bring in new ideas such as the X-Force, he now gets to step into to a fanbase that has millions of fans worldwide and bring his own brand of directing into the Fast & Furious fold, as well. He explained to Fandango that the franchise felt like a good fit from the beginning because he had previously worked with Jason Statham and knew what to expect from the actor. In addition, it sounds like the project itself was "different" than the stuff Leitch previously signed on for. And while he doesn't specifically say it, who doesn't want to work with The Rock these days? (Well, maybe other than Vin Diesel.)
Sometimes momentum is enough to get you some really cool opportunities. David Leitch was a jack-of-all-trades for years, doing work as a stuntman, a second unit director for years, an actor and a producer. In 2014 he was involved with directing John Wick, an action flick that was well-received and led to the director filming Atomic Blonde, which also did pretty well with audiences and critics and was notable for its action sequences. Deadpool 2 came next, and while the director will be setting his sights on Fox's Marvel film over the next several weeks as is it finally hits theaters, after that, his schedule should be wide open to focus on Hobbs and Shaw.
Hobbs and Shaw won't hit theaters until July 26, 2019, but I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about the flick in the coming months. In the meantime, you can see David Leitch's handiwork when Deadpool 2 hits theaters on May 18. Here's what we know about that flick.
