Sorry, Rihanna: ‘Hobbit’ Star Luke Evans Offered ‘Fast Six’ Villain Role

When stories broke that ‘Battleship’ hottie Rihanna was offered the villain role in the upcoming ‘Fast & Furious’ sequel, it felt like a rumor … primarily because the source was Britain’s tabloid The Sun. Now the reputable Twitch says that ‘Immortals’ star Luke Evans actually is being offered the part, plugging into a role that was pitched to Jason Statham.

Evans is having a solid year. The Welsh-born actor recently popped up in John Cusack’s ‘The Raven,’ and is filming a part in Peter Jackson’s eagerly anticipated ‘The Hobbit.’ (He’ll play Bard the Bowman in both parts of Jackson’s epic.) He has ‘The Amateur American’ in pre-production according to his IMDB page, but could transition to Universal’s high-octane franchise if schedules synched up.

I’d rather see Evans in the series over Statham. ‘Fast Five’ already added The Rock to the mix, and trying to shoehorn a recognizable action icon like Statham would start to lean ‘Fast Six’ (or whatever it’s going to be called) toward ‘Expendables’ territory.

The sixth ‘Fast’ appears to be on the fast track. In addition to Evans, we reported that Michelle Rodriguez is coming back as Letty (though we hear that Eva Mendes won't be back). And rumors continue to swirl that the action will shift to England for the next installment, which could be a clever change of scenery. I want a scene of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker having tea in Claridge’s in London’s West End.

More details on the sixth ‘Fast’ as they happen.