At this point it’s probably fair to say that we’re a teensy bit more excited for Dwayne Johnson’s Fast and Furious spinoff than we are for Fast 9. The hiring of Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch just seals the deal. Sorry, Vin Diesel, but The Rock just won this round.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Leitch has signed on to direct the untitled Fast and Furious spinoff, which re-teams Johnson’s Luke Hobbs with series frienemy Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. Leitch, who made a name for himself as co-director of John Wick, recently wrapped filming on Deadpool 2 with Ryan Reynolds. He previously directed Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde (just yesterday, it was confirmed that a sequel to that film is in development).

Franchise writer Chris Morgan is scripting the spinoff for Leitch, who’s best known for using his professional stunt background to craft thrilling (yet somewhat grounded) action sequences.

The Fast and Furious spinoff, rumored to possibly called Hobbs and Shaw (because why not), is set to hit theaters on July 26, 2019. And we’re not the only ones who are stoked about the project: Universal moved the release date up to 2019, pushing Fast 9 back to 2020 — one of a few developments that contributed to the ongoing feud between Diesel and Johnson.

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