New 'Hobbs And Shaw' Photo Promises Lots Of Intense Standing And Frowning

A new Hobbs and Shaw photo is here, and one thing is for certain: this movie is going to feature lots of intense staring contests. The pic shows Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's Fast and the Furious characters ready for action. The image comes accompanied with a new interview in which Johnson, the ultimate pitch man, talks about how amazing and cool and fun Hobbs and Shaw will be. See the Hobbs and Shaw photo below.

They're big, they're bald, they're badass. They're Hobbs and Shaw, and they're ready to smash you with...table legs? Is that what they're holding? It's hard to tell. In any case, this image comes from Entertainment Weekly, giving us a new glimpse at the upcoming Fast and the Furious spin-off focused on Johnson and Statham's characters. Also buried in the EW story: a new, official, clunky title: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Sure! Why not?

In the EW piece, Johnson takes some time out between bicep curls to hype the hell out of the movie. "When you have a franchise that is as successful as the Fast & Furious franchise, the goal, certainly my goal, was always to try and create a scenario where we have as much longevity as we possibly can have," Johnson says. "And in that spirit, you have to evolve and you have to spin off and you have to create new characters and new stories, especially when you're coming off Fast 8, where you have an eight at the end of your title....And while that one was wildly successful as well, we all collectively felt, myself, Jason Statham, the studio, all right, now's the time, let's make our move."

In Hobbs and Shaw, Johnson and Statham's characters team up to take on a new villain, played by Idris Elba. The film also features Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw, Shaw's sister, and Eiza Gonzalez as a character named Madam M. Speaking of Gonzalez, Johnson posted a pic on Instagram of himself with the actress earlier this week.

Johnson goes on to say that Hobbs and Shaw will still have "the spirit of Fast & Furious" but also be "different." "How can we also make something for the fans stylistically that they've never seen, but also really root it in character?" he adds. "[W]e are hopefully, fingers crossed, creating characters in this movie where they can all at some point in the future spin off. That's the goal."

I'll admit that I'm not as enamored by the Fast and the Furious franchise as some, but I'm interested in Hobbs and Shaw, primarily because John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch at the helm. Leitch is one of the best action directors working right now, and I have faith he can do something exciting with this material.

Hobbs and Shaw smashes into theaters on August 2, 2019.