Idris Elba is 'black Superman' in new 'Hobbs & Shaw' trailer

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

Memo to Henry Cavill: if you’re really hanging up Superman’s red-and-blue outfit, Idris Elba can easily fill it out. The British superstar declares himself “black Superman” in the latest trailer for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off of the popular racing franchise centered around career cop Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and career criminal Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). But it’s Elba’s genetically enhanced tough guy, Brixton Lore, who steals the show in this three-and-a-half-minute sneak peek, demonstrating his Man of Steel cred by taking on both Hobbs and Shaw in a fistfight without breaking a sweat or sustaining a bruise. Even the Hulk-sized Hobbs is impressed: “He really is the black Superman.” (Watch the trailer above.)

On the other hand, Brixton doesn’t exactly share Superman’s love for truth, justice and the Anglo way. Instead, he’s using his powers purely for personal gain, and pursuing Deckard’s MI6-affiliated sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), to recover an item she stole. And once it becomes clear that Shaw and Hobbs can’t defeat Brixton on their own, stopping this supervillain becomes a real family affair. Besides Hattie, Deckard also consults with Mama Shaw (Helen Mirren), who is currently behind bars for committing what must have been a truly epic vehicular offense. Here’s hoping her son is planning on a jail break, because Mirren needs to get behind the wheel in one of these Fast & Furious movies already. Her words, as well as ours.

Meanwhile, Hobbs takes his odd couple comrades to Hawaii, where his mom and absurdly large number of absurdly large brothers agree to be part of this ragtag justice league. “This family is going to war,” Luke says, and gets in the fighting spirit via a Haka dance — a callback to one of the most memorable moments from The Fate of the Furious.

Based on the Twitter reaction, people are all-in on Elda as the new Superman, even if it means fighting crime instead of perpetrating it.

Meanwhile, Johnson is getting attention for channeling a superhero from another universe.

It’s worth noting that both Johnson and Elba are poised to join the increasingly diverse DC Extended Universe, though neither are currently in the running for Superman. Instead, Elba will be part of James Gunn’s Suicide Squad reboot as a yet-to-be-revealed new character, while Johnson is still attached to play Shazam’s predecessor, Black Adam, in either a standalone movie or a follow-up to the box-office hit. Here’s our pitch: Black Adam meets Black Superman. You’re welcome, DC.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens in theaters on August 2

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