Dwayne Johnson Returning for Standalone ‘Fast and Furious’ Film
Universal and Dwayne Johnson have announced that the actor will return as Hobbs for a new film set in the franchise that is neither a sequel to 2019’s Hobbs & Shaw nor either one of the two remaining films in the main saga.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson closed a deal to star in and executive produce the film, which has already been written by six-time Fast writer Chris Morgan. Apparently, it will act as a bridge between Fast X and Fast XI, but will not be labeled with a numerical notation — as if the storyline wasn’t confusing enough by now.
In a surprising turn of events, Dwayne Johnson returned to the saga after sitting out F9 during the final moments of the now-in-theaters Fast X — a cameo that was spoiled by TheWrap a week before the movie came out. Johnson had a behind-the-screens fallout with star Vin Diesel, and had announced he would not be returning. Well, apparently money won, and after Johnson was kicked out of the DC camp by the worldwide box office last year, it seems like he’s decided to revisit his previous roles. (He is also attached to play Maui in a live-action retelling of 2016’s Moana.) Johnson said that they have put all of that behind them:
“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.”
Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto will reportedly not be a part of the story, though the actor will be an executive producer on the project. (Whether this is because the two have made up by now, or because of a contractual clause, we don’t really know.) However, THR is saying that other actors in the franchise are expected to appear, and Diesel’s participation in future installments of this new sub-franchise is not ruled out entirely. And neither is, we assume, Johnson’s participation in the franchise’s two-part finale. Fast X — Part 2 is targeting a 2025 release date, as Diesel himself announced at CinemaCon.
A release date for this new project has not been set, but if it’s going to act as a bridge between the new movie and the next one, it’s entirely possible it will take the 2025 slot and perhaps push Part 2, or Fast XI, or however it’s gonna be called, into 2026.
Dwayne Johnson is producing via Seven Bucks, along with Hiram García and Dany García. Diesel and Samantha Vincent will produce via One Race. Morgan is producing for Chris Morgan Productions, Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, and Neal Moritz for Original Film.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
