The first look at Hobbs and Shaw is here. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham strike a pose in what appears to be a promotional still from the movie. Johnson and Statham will reprise their characters of Luke Hobbs and Owen Shaw respectively from the Fast & Furious movies, of which this is a spin-off. Elba is playing the main villain in the movie that also features Vanessa Kirby in a supporting role. Check it out.

The movie is being blatantly promoted as a Fast and Furious spin-off (which it is) and it doesn’t shy away from the fact. To that end, it’s title was changed to Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, in case audiences didn’t get the connection. This will also help Universal market it as a Fast and Furious movie to general audiences while still keeping major franchise players like Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson out of the picture.

There’s been some discontent between Diesel and Johnson over the spin-off movie arriving before the next Fast and Furious installment. Dwayne Johnson is an audience puller and with his character already well-known in his fanbase, it’s possible Hobbs and Shaw could be an international financial success, kickstarting its own series of films. The star-power is strong and the movie has a decent foundation, directed by David Leitch, director of Deadpool 2. Leitch pulled off some impressive set-pieces within the confines of a $100 million budget so I’m positive he’ll be able to do the same with Hobbs and Shaw as well.

Hobbs and Shaw arrives in theaters in August 2, 2019. It’s proving to be a rather packed year for movie afficionados. It’s possible that Universal will give the movie a Superbowl spot in February next month.