Jason Statham is one of the best action stars working in the business today and fans would agree that he made quite the impression when he made his first appearance in the Fast & Furious franchise as Deckard Shaw. He first debuted in an end-credits cameo scene for Fast & Furious 6 and this led to him becoming the main villain in Furious 7. Shaw eventually won over the Fast family in The Fate of the Furious for helping them when they needed it, although hardcore Fast fans were upset this was done so easily because Shaw seemingly killed a prominent member of their crew (Han, played by Sung Kang) at the end of the sixth installment. In the wake of the #JusticeForHan movement, we now know that Han is very much alive and it has made it a bit easier to swallow the fact that Shaw is now more of a likable anti-hero, a point that was solidified when he teamed up with Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs character in the Fast spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw. Statham’s Deckard Shaw won’t be appearing in the upcoming Fast & Furious 9 but that doesn’t mean he’s out of the Fast franchise for good and there’s still the matter of the previously announced Hobbs & Shaw sequel.
Statham has been making the rounds promoting his upcoming film, Wrath of Man, and during a chat with “Collider”, he first gave an update on the status of Hobbs & Shaw 2 and it seems they’re just waiting to get 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.”
Statham was also asked about the chances of him appearing in the next two Fast & Furious installments. Statham’s Deckard Shaw has appeared in Fast 6-8, and while he won’t be in Fast & Furious 9, he’d love to come back for the final two installments that will wrap up the franchise:
“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 saying he’d be skating on thin ice talking about what’s going to happen in the next movies, gives me the impression that he has at least talked to Justin Lin, Vin Diesel, and the other powers that be about returning. I suspect he knows SOMETHING but just can’t talk about it yet. I’d imagine that since this will be the final two films they will want to bring back as many people from the franchise over the years into the fold and since Statham played such a popular role in the films he has appeared in, he’s bound to get the call. For now, we have to deal with him playing it a bit coy.
For now, we can see Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man. In the film, a cold and mysterious character named H (Statham) works at a cash truck company that is responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week. In the midst of this, H is also on the hunt for the people behind his son’s murder. The movie also stars Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Raul Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, and Scott Eastwood.
