The Fast and Furious spin-off has become a family affair for one of its stars.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns (real name Joe Anoa’i) has been cast as the brother of Hobbs, played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, in the upcoming film Hobbs & Shaw. In real life, Johnson and Reigns are cousins. News of the casting was starting to leak through news sources early Friday afternoon, which were then confirmed by Johnson’s Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtEaa8HhfWx/
Taking place after the events of The Fate Of The Furious, Johnson’s US Diplomatic Security Agent Luke Hobbs is forced to team up with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, the villain of the seventh film in the franchise, Furious 7. The production is currently filming in Hawaii, where the scenes involving Johnson and Reigns are being shot. Reigns has taken a forced hiatus from the WWE due to his current battle with Leukemia, which he has already fought off once before in his life. In between treatment, he has found time to accept his cousin’s request and join him on screen.
This isn’t the first time Johnson has incorporated his family and his culture into his bodies of work. His stunt double since 2002’s The Scorpion King is his cousin Tanoai Reed (the guy Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan has a hard time handling during Black Widow’s ass-kicking session in Iron Man 2). More of Johnson’s family tree are currently in the WWE, including Jimmy and Jay Uso, Nia Jax, and Tamina. They are all descendants of the Anoa’i Samoan bloodline, which includes Johnson’s grandfather “High Chief” Peter Maivia, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and The Wild Samoans. As for the character’s connection, Johnson’s Hobbs reveals his Polynesian ancestry while coaching his daughter’s soccer team in The Fate Of The Furious, leading them in a ceremonial pregame haka.
Hobbs & Shaw is slated to be released worldwide on August 2nd. The WWE’s annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event takes place this Sunday.
Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page!
Source: Instagram.
FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS
Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoG, Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube!
Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play
