EXCLUSIVE: Universal is huddling on a spinoff that will focus on the characters originated by Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham and most recently seen in The Fate Of The Furious, sources said. The franchise architects have said they might broaden the universe with spinoffs, and source said this is the one they are pursuing. This is in early stages, but they’ve met on the concept, which sources said will be scripted by Chris Morgan, the chief writer of the series that is hitting new heights with the eighth installment. The idea is for Johnson’s US Diplomatic Security Agent Luke Hobbs to form an unlikely alliance with Statham’s Decker Shaw, for a movie that could conceivably be made while they are figuring the next Fast film. Johnson stepped into the franchise in Fast Five, and Statham established his in Fast & Furious 6. Each began as an antagonist to the core street racing family, but grudgingly earned their way into the circle of trust. There’s not much more to say right now; Morgan hasn’t begun writing, but they are talking. Johnson and Statham certainly showed good chemistry in the new film, which going into its second weekend has grossed $685 million worldwide. The two-hander spinoff seems a clever way to extend a franchise which has shown little signs of running out of gas.

The film is being written by Chris Morgan.

With Fast 9 moved back to 2020, Universal is now officially putting the spin-off on the calender, dating it for a July 26, 2019 opening.

‘Deadpool 2’s’ David Leitch the Frontrunner to Direct ‘Fast and Furious’ Spinoff
By Justin Kroll @krolljvar

“John Wick” and “Deadpool 2” director David Leitch is the top choice to helm the movie that has Johnson and Statham reprising their roles of special agent Luke Hobbs and criminal mastermind Deckard Shaw, sources tell Variety.

Since his arrival in the franchise’s fifth installment, Universal has tried to find a way to spin-off Johnson’s Hobbs character, given his popularity with fans. With the arrival of Statham’s character in the seventh movie of the series, and seeing the chemistry between the two in “The Fate of the Furious,” Universal took action on plans to develop a spinoff. It’s set to hit theaters on July 26, 2019.

Plot details are vague and have gone through various changes throughout the years (at one point, Charlize Theron’s “Fate of the Furious” villain was considered as a potential antagonist, though those plans have since been scrapped), but the main idea was that the often-at-odds duo would team up somehow.

“Fast and Furious” architect Chris Morgan was assigned to the script and turned in his final draft at the beginning of this year. Given Johnson’s busy schedule — he’s currently in production on Season 4 of “Ballers,” followed by Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” movie — the pic is scheduled to shoot in August, giving Leitch time to meet with all parties to discuss where they see the story going.

The other element in the mix is where the spinoff leaves Hobbs and Shaw in the ninth installment of the main “Fast and Furious” series. Justin Lin is back on as director, but as of right now, the film does not have a start date, although Universal is still very much trying to get that film up and running.

As for Leitch, the stunt coordinator-turned-director has been a rising star on the action scene after he and his stunt partner, Chad Stahelski, broke out with the cult hit “John Wick.” Stahelski took the reins for “John Wick 2” as Leitch moved on to the Theron action movie “Atomic Blonde,” the film that helped land him the job of “Deadpool 2” after that sequel lost its director. With “Deadpool 2” in post-production, Leitch was looking for his next challenge and after meeting with execs and Johnson, he was seen as the top choice to launch this potential new franchise.

“Deadpool 2” bows this Memorial Day. Leitch is repped by WME. Johnson is repped by WME and the Garcia Companies and Statham is repped by CAA. Morgan is repped by ICM Partners and attorney Jeff Frankel.

The Fast & Furious franchise is about to get even more thrilling: EW can exclusively reveal that David Leitch (Deadpool 2) has officially signed on to direct the untitled Fast & Furious spin-off starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Staham, about their respective characters Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw. (The film has been rumored to be called, naturally, Hobbs and Shaw.) The film is due in theaters July 26, 2019.

Leitch, who also directed Atomic Blonde and co-directed John Wick, has been the reported front-runner to helm the film for months. He’s known for incredibly visceral, stunt-driven action sequences and was a stunt double/coordinator prior to directing.

He will direct from a script written by Chris Morgan, who has penned six installments of the blockbuster series, including the most recent, The Fate of the Furious.

The eight Fast & Furious films have combined to gross more than $5.1 billion worldwide for Universal Pictures.