While it had been all but confirmed by the man himself already, Dwayne Johnson will not be returning in Fast & Furious 10 or Fast & Furious 11. Indeed, The Rock helped make the franchise what it is today but, for various reasons, producer Hiram Garcia has added further confirmation that Johnson is done with the main entries in the series and won't reprise his role as Luke Hobbs for the upcoming two-part finale.
Hiram Garcia, one of The Rock's most trusted and frequent collaborators, is currently promoting Jungle Cruise, which hit theaters over the weekend. During a recent interview, he addressed the actor's status in the Fast & Furious sequels. Here's what Garcia had to say about Dwayne Johnson and his place in the Fast franchise.
"After filming Fast 8 DJ made the clear decision to close the Fast & Furious chapter for all the evident reasons. He wished them all well and shifted our focus on to other story telling avenues. So while he will not be in F10 or F11, that won't in any way interfere with our Hobbs plans. Obviously all these characters exist in the Fast universe and we love to see all aspects of that universe thrive and succeed. We just have specific plans for what we want to do with the Hobbs character and I think the fans are going to love it! We're working to deliver something very unique and fresh and we know the studio is eager for us to get into it ASAP!"
It is absolutely no secret that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel didn't get along, and things came to a head while filming The Fate of the Furious. Recently, Diesel suggested that he pushed Johson while filming Fast Five, taking some credit for the actor's performance. Johnson, responding more recently, laughed off the idea. So, even though things aren't openly hostile, it's not hard to understand why Johnson is content to do his own thing.
Aside from that, Hobbs and Shaw 2, the first Fast & Furious spin-off that starred The Rock and Jason Statham, was incredibly successful. Hobbs & Shaw 2 is currently being developed. So, even though Hobbs won't be in the next two main movies, which will conclude the long-running franchise, he will return to the character at some point. Hiram Garcia explained that they are currently trying to crack the sequel.
"At the moment we're trying to figure out what that sequel is going to be, but we have some very big ideas."
Justin Lin is set to return for both Fast 10 and Furious 11. They will pick up in the aftermath of F9, which is currently in theaters and doing quite well at the box office. While the two-parter will conclude the main series, several spin-offs are already being developed. Aside from Hobbs & Shaw 2, a female-led spin-off is in development as well. So Universal Pictures is hoping that this can continue to be a cash cow for years to come. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us via Collider.