With every casting announcement for Fast and Furious 7, the upcoming James Wan-directed sequel feels more in line with an Expendables film than one involving racing and heists. Nevertheless, each announcement just further legitimizes the IP and hopes following the departure of the series’ savior, Justin Lin. Last week, it was announced that Ong-Bak star Tony Jaa would join the Fast and Furious 7 cast. This week, it’s being reported that elusive action star Kurt Russell (Escape from New York) will be the next in line to be fast and/or furious.

Russell will play the role that was offered to (and declined by) Denzel Washington, although no details of what the role will entail have been revealed. Considering that Russell was a huge action star in his prime and hasn’t been seen in anything notable since Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 Death Proof, he must have felt very strongly about the offer. Let’s do a cast check once more: Vin Diesel, The Rock, Tony Jaa, and now Kurt Russell. It’s only a matter of time before the Fast and Furious and The Expendables franchises either do a crossover or merge into one enormous money printer.

[via Variety]