Denzel Washington Offered 'Fast & Furious 7,' Turned It Down

Eventually Universal is going to run out of manly actors to cast in the Fast & Furious movies. That won't happen soon, but the end point will come faster if big names turn down roles.

New guy Luke Evans held down the fort as the bad guy in the most recent film, and [REDACTED, for the few people who haven't seen the film or been spoiled] will show up as the baddie in the next. The pattern of introducing a new character (typically a villain) at the very end of one film, before expanding their role in the sequel that follows, is something Universal evidently wants to continue.

in a piece about the general state of original tentpoles in Hollywood, Deadline reveals that Denzel Washington could have been the next guy to drive against Dom Toretto, but the actor wasn't interested.

Specifically, Deadline says,

The studio is now looking for another big star to join the next film in a small role and then be a big part of the film that follows. Denzel Washington just turned down that opportunity, but they'll undoubtedly get somebody important by the time The Conjuring helmer James Wan starts shooting the seventh film.

Jason Statham appeared at the end of the latest movie, and he'll be the main bad guy for the seventh film that will shoot soon.

While Denzel Washington would have been a good presence in the film, he's not really the guy you get for that gig. The overall vibe of the Fast & Furious movies just doesn't seem like his style. It would be more surprising to hear he'd taken the job, frankly.