'Hobbs & Shaw': Jason Statham Teases "Electric" and "Funnier" Movie

Jason Statham has the Hobbs and Shaw hype train officially leaving the station, promising a funnier-than-expected action-packed thrill ride with the first Fast & Furious spinoff.

Statham will star alongside Dwayne Johnson as they reprise their respective Deckard Shaw and Luke Hobbs roles from their appearances in previous Fast & Furious films. Joining them is Idris Elba as the villain of the film. For the British actor Statham, the entire production has been a blast so far, and he expects the movie itself to offer a similar experience.

"The whole thing has been such a laugh," Statham told EW. "There's so many great elements to this that has made it become what it has. The director I've known for years from the days that I was trying to get into movies. And Dwayne and I never seem to get up to full speed when we're doing the Fast movies. We get little tastes of some of the fun that we can generate together. Now we really get to take all the brakes off and go to town with it."

When Statham and Johnson's characters went face to face in Fast & Furious 7, the chemistry and action were electric, prompting Universal to move forward with the actors and characters getting their own film.

"We're having a ball," he says. "It's definitely become much funnier than we intended for it to be, I think. It's just two guys screwing around, making the most of it, and we're getting some good stuff. But that will be determined by the audience, I'm sure, whether it's good or bad. But we feel like we're doing something great and we're enjoying it."

While Statham has previously worked with Johnson, Hobbs and Shaw is his first outing with the popular and talented Elba. "This has been a long time coming; to do something with Idris is tremendous," Statham said. "With what they've created with this character, I don't think anyone else can put the boots on. He's just so formidable, so talented, and I've never seen a villain played to this kind of depth. He's just so electric in what he's delivering."

The film is directed by Deadpool 2 and John Wick director David Leitch, who is similarly excited to have Elba in the film. "I was too when he said yes," Leitch said. "Like, where do you go? Honestly, where do you go?"

Hobbs and Shaw hits theaters on August 2, 2019.