Jason Statham made a huge splash in his first appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise, showing up in an end-credits cameo for Fast & Furious 6, in which he seemed to kill fan-favorite character Han (Sung Kang). Since that first appearance, Statham’s Deckard Shaw has been a major part of the series, first as a villain in Furious 7, then winning over the F&F crew in The Fate of the Furious. Statham even co-starred with Dwayne Johnson in the spinoff film, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
When asked about the status of Hobbs & Shaw 2 when we spoke to him as part of the press day for Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man, Statham said that right now it's about getting the script right:
“Hundreds of millions get spent on making the movie and promoting the movie, so they have to have a good script. We’re motivated to do something about that; we’re waiting for the knock on the door, essentially.”
Despite Statham being in every Fast and Furious movie since Fast & Furious 6, Statham won’t be appearing in the upcoming F9. With the franchise supposedly wrapping up after two more films, the chances for Statham to come back to the series are dwindling. When asked if Statham would come back for the final two installments, the actor said:
"I’d love to come back for those couple of movies. It’s thin ice that I’m skating on if I talk about what’s going to happen in the next movies. But I know Justin Lin, I know him really well, and it was funny, when I came on to do the cameo in 6, he never turned up to 7 and 8, and they’re the ones that I did, so we’re destined to do something bigger. It’s great to work with Vin and all the other characters, I’ve made some great friends on that movie, and I really love the film franchise itself. I think it’s a global success for all the right reasons. To be a part of it is just a great privilege. So if they want me in the next ones, I’ll be there."
Statham can next be seen in Wrath of Man, which comes out on May 7. Hopefully, we'll also be seeing him return in the near future as Deckard Shaw in more Fast and Furious projects. Be on the lookout for our full interview with Statham soon.
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