Eddie Marsan is the consummate character actor, elevating each and every production I've ever seen him in. That's why he has worked with such esteemed directors as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, Alejandro González Iñárritu, J.J. Abrams and Edgar Wright. Now, Collider has exclusively learned that he'll be taking his talents to Universal's Fast and Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

David Leitch (John Wick) is directing from a script by the franchise's go-to scribe Chris Morgan, and the film co-stars Idris Elba as the villain and Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Fallout) as Deckard Shaw's sister -- who may strike up a romance with Johnson's Luke Hobbs at some point. Neal H. Moritz is producing the tentpole spinoff with Morgan, while Universal executives Mark Sourian and Jay Polidoro will oversee on behalf of the studio.

Marsan's role in the film is described as small but significant, though character details (along with plot details) are being kept under wraps for now.

Marsan has become a lucky charm of sorts for Leitch. The two recently worked on Deadpool 2, in which Marsan played the Headmaster, and the Charlize Theron action movie Atomic Blonde. The 50-year-old English actor can currently be seen in White Boy Rick, and his upcoming films include Adam McKay's Vice and Netflix's Mowgli. Marsan also reprises his role as Terry on the upcoming sixth season of Ray Donovan, which will debut on Showtime on Oct. 28. He's represented by UTA and Markham, Froggatt and Irwin.

Universal will release Hobbs and Shaw on Aug. 2, 2019 opposite 20th Century Fox's long-delayed New Mutants, Paramount's live-action Dora the Explorer movie, and an untitled event film from Warner Bros. It's a smart date for the spinoff, as it should have legs at the box office throughout the month of August through Labor Day weekend.