Dwayne Johnson is clearly a man who hates having free time and vacations, as is evidenced by his adding yet another movie to his upcoming slate--in this instance the announced Fast & Furious spinoff he will star in with Jason Statham. That said, while the movie won't debut in theaters until the summer of 2019, there's plenty to get excited about now.

　　Variety reports that while no meetings have taken place, the list of directors being considered to helm the movie includes none other than Shane Black. A veteran of action movies in his own right, Black is the writer and director behind titles like Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys and the upcoming The Predator, a sequel to 2010's Predators due in 2018. Even more impressive, he's also written The Monster Squad, Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 and The Hunt for Red October, among a long list of other movies.

　　Given his film pedigree, the director would likely be a natural fit in the Fast & Furious universe, should he be chosen. The project would also present a new opportunity for Black, as he's never directed a film he didn't write. The script for the untitled spinoff is being written by Chris Morgan, who has also penned the last six Fast & Furious installments.

　　While a director has yet to sign on for the project, Johnson is having a hard time containing his excitement. In an Instagram post, the former wrestler writes, "Thank you UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for being tremendous partners who see the big picture and for coming to us years ago with this spinoff idea. Huge shout to my brother, Jason Statham for the trust and wanting to create and deliver something fresh and bad a** for the fans."

　　Daddy’s gotta go back to work ~ Hobbs. Pumped to expand and build out the FAST & FURIOUS universe in a cool, exciting way with our @sevenbucksprod, writer/producer Chris Morgan, producer Hiram Garcia and lead producer and my bigger twin, Neil Moritz. Thank you UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for being tremendous partners who see the big picture and for coming to us years ago with this spinoff idea. Huge shout to my brother, Jason Statham for the trust and wanting to create and deliver something fresh and bad ass for the fans. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I’ve enjoyed droppin’ blood and sweat in over the years and my vision is to create greater opportunities for not only my fellow FF cast mates, but for other amazing actors as well who want to be a part of something new and cool. I want to use my spinoff platform to create new characters that fans will ultimately love to have fun with in multiple chapters and platforms. Film, TV, Digital, Virtual Reality etc.. the more opportunities we can create the better for the fans. Smart business. Let’s have some FUN and to quote, Hobbs the boss, if you don’t like it, we’re happy to beat that ass like a Cherokee drum. #HOBBS #SevenBucksProds #NewOpportunities #CandyAssesNeedNotApply JULY 2019

　　A post shared by therock (@therock) on Oct 9, 2017 at 9:41am PDT

　　Not everyone in the Fast family is excited about the movie, though. In particular, co-star Tyrese Gibson has been an outspoken critic of the spinoff and how it seemingly pushed back the next Fast & Furious installment by a year, ranting about it on Instagram.

　　"Congratulations to @hhgarcia41 and @therock you guys are just amazing you really broke up the #FastFamily I tried to warn you guys," he writes. "I got 3 years of venting on this clown - They offered but YOU didn't have to agree with a solo #HobbsMovie."

　　Diversity, love, multi ethnic worldwide multi generational, United Nations, One Race, Fast Family...... Until Dewayne showed up I guess this whole time he had a problem cause he wasn't the ONLY ONE on the movie poster........... I guess dreams do come true congratulations to @hhgarcia41 and @therock you guys are just amazing you really broke up the #FastFamily I tried to warn you guys... You thought I was hating...... I was simply fighting to keep the family together what makes us great is when you see us all TOGETHER we don't fly solo..... #MyLastPost today..... I got 3 years of venting on this clown - They offered but YOU didn't have to agree with a solo #HobbsMovie #OriginalFastFamily we salute you and stand on your shoulders #VinDiesel #PaulWalker #RobCohen #RomanTej were offered a spin off we TURNED IT DOWN!!!

　　A post shared by TYRESE (@tyrese) on Oct 5, 2017 at 2:12pm PDT

　　Brotherhood... and all it's complexities. This scene was filmed in Puerto Rico, I can remember it like it was yesterday. Such a beautiful island, the people were so warm and welcoming. I turned 43 that summer... and my son Vincent was born. A woman named Jan Kelly responded to a question I had asked on Facebook, 'who they would like to see me work with?' She said would love to see me work with Dwayne... I listened to her request and he became Hobbs. I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed... but it would be unfair to say it is anyone's fault. As we plot the course to expand the Fast & Furious universe, one must be mindful to take stock of the roads we took to get here. The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success. However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon... stay tuned. Yours truly, Dom #FamilyAlways

　　A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Oct 6, 2017 at 8:15pm PDT

　　While Johnson hasn't responded to his Fast co-star's comments, Vin Diesel did with an Instagram post of his own. Diesel, the top-billed star and producer of the films, wrote that the move isn't necessarily any one person's fault. Instead, he writes, "Like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that."

　　The ninth Fast & Furious movie will arrive on April 10, 2020--nearly a year after the spinoff starring Johnson and Statham premieres on July 26, 2019.