David Leitch can't stop/won't stop lining up high profile acting projects. The stunt veteran made a splash as a filmmaker when he co-directed the surprise breakout John Wick and quickly jumped on the Charlize Theron spy vehicle Atomic Blonde before landing the coveted gig on Deadpool 2. Now, Leitch is in early talks to join one of the biggest blockbuster action franchises on the planet.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Leitch is in early talks with Universal to join the Fast-family as director of the untitled Fast and Furious spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, emerging as the frontrunner for the gig. The project caused some well-publicized drama in the family when Fast & Furious 9 was bumped back a year to make way for the spinoff, which raced into a July 26, 2019 release date.

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Image via Universal Pictures

The film will focus on Johnson's Luke Hobbs, the Diplomatic Security Service agent turned bonafide, Dom Torretto-approved fam, and Statham's Deckard Shaw, the Han-murdering villain turned (supposed) hero. The Johnson/Statham duo earned a whole lot of fans after The Fate of the Furious, which saw the especially brawny odd couple come to blows before bonding as bros in combat. Fast & Furious shepherd Chris Morgan, who has penned every script since Tokyo Drift, also wrote the script for the spinoff.

Last year, Johnson confirmed the project, called out candyasses everywhere, and shared his enthusiasm on social media, saying,

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I’ve enjoyed droppin’ blood and sweat in over the years and my vision is to create greater opportunities for not only my fellow FF cast mates, but for other amazing actors as well who want to be a part of something new and cool.,,I want to use my spinoff platform to create new characters that fans will ultimately love to have fun with in multiple chapters and platforms. Film, TV, Digital, Virtual Reality etc.. the more opportunities we can create the better for the fans."

The Fast & Furious spinoff is set to arrive in 2019, followed by Fast & Furious 9 in 2020.

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Image via Universal Pictures
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Image via Universal Pictures