Dwayne Johnson’s relationship with one of Hollywood’s preeminent franchises is changing…fast. From a furious feud with Vin Diesel that seemed likely to keep him out of the Fast series going forward to a surprising mid-credits cameo in Fast X, now comes the news that Johnson will be anchoring a film in the series himself.
According to Johnson—with a report confirmed by The Wrap—the megastar will appear in a movie centered on his character Luke Hobbs. And the film technically won’t be a sequel to the spin-off Johnson already anchored in 2019, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Not only that, but it’s going to be the very next film in the franchise.
In a video posted with the tweet, Johnson said he was blown away by the fan response to his return, and described keeping Hobbs’ return under wraps as “a secret that was hard as hell to keep.” He added that he and Diesel have been “like brothers for years” despite their well-documented tension.
“The next Fast & Furious film you’ll see the legendary lawman in will be the Hobbs movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter [and] set up for Fast X: Part II,” Johnson wrote. “Last summer, Vin and I put all the past behind us. We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve–and always take care of the franchise, characters & fans that we love.”
The movie will be written by Chris Morgan, who wrote Hobbs & Shaw and several other Fast & Furious films, and will feature both Johnson and Diesel as producers. No significant plot details have been released yet, beyond Johnson saying that the movie will be a bridge between the just-released Fast X and the next installment in the main franchise. Most likely, the Hobbs film will cover the same time period as Fast X, explaining where the character was and how he turns up in that credits scene.
Johnson joined the franchise in 2011’s Fast Five, playing a muscled, charismatic DSS agent bent on taking down Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and crew. Similar to Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, Luke Hobbs went from antagonist to good guy as the franchise soldiered on, often providing governmental cover for Dom and the gang’s less-than-legal activities. Johnson’s role in the franchise culminated in his title turn in Hobbs & Shaw which, if not essential viewing, is nevertheless a blast and a great showcase for his comedic delivery.
Yet there were countless reports of tension between Diesel, who functions as the series’ de facto captain, and Johnson, arguably the biggest action star in the world, who helped take the franchise to a new level of international prominence. Speaking to CNN in December 2021, Johnson said definitively that he would not be returning to the franchise.
There’s no concrete release date for Fast X: Part II, though Diesel told CinemaCon it’d be out in 2025. That means Johnson and Co. will have a tight timeline to get this preceding installment written, shot, and released with time to spare before the press tour for FXP2, though it’s unknown how far along in the process they already are. In the meantime, Johnson has a myriad of projects in the works, from sequels to San Andreas and Jungle Cruise to his upcoming Christmas action flick, Red One.