There's going to be a 'Fast and Furious' spin-off with The Rock and Jason Statham

It looks like we are going to see more of Hobbs and Deckard in action together.

Deadline is reporting that Universal is in the early stages of developing a spin-off movie from its successful "Fast and the Furious" franchise that will focus on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham's characters.

It's an idea that likely began to get traction after the audience reaction to the two in the franchise's latest movie, "The Fate of the Furious." The actors shared a lot of screen time either trying to destroy each other physically or, when that wasn't possible, trying to destroy each other verbally. Some of the best scenes involve their interaction.

According to Deadline, franchise screenwriter Chris Morgan will be writing the script, which would involve Johnson's US Diplomatic Security Agent Hobbs forming an unlikely alliance with Statham's Decker.

This spin-off would likely be released in a time when Universal is figuring out its next "Fast and Furious" movie.

The studio is taking the Disney/Lucasfilm approach to the "Star Wars" universe by expanding its biggest cash-cow property.

But a spin-off featuring Johnson will fuel the rumors that he and "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel can't work together, and this is the only way the studio can keep Johnson in the franchise. It's more than obvious from how "The Fate of the Furious" was shot that Johnson and Diesel had very limited screen time together.

It can't be all bad, though. The movie has grossed over $685 million to date and will likely win the box office for a second straight weekend.