Dwayne Johnson confirms ‘Fast & Furious’ return with surprise announcement of new Hobbs film

The following contains spoilers for “Fast X”

Two weeks after shocking audiences by returning to the “Fast and Furious” franchise in the post-credits scene for “Fast X,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson broke his silence about the surprise appearance and confirmed he’ll appear in another “Fast” franchise film.

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“Luke Hobbs will be returning to the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. 

“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 & set up for ‘FAST X: Part II,’” Johnson added.

That the actor returned to the “Fast & Furious” franchise stunned fans due to the fact that Johnson and “Fast” franchise leader Vin Diesel had engaged in a public feud for years. Johnson last appeared in the main “Fast” franchise in 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious” and wasn’t shy about voicing his displeasure with Diesel. Johnson — who starred as his “Fast” character in the 2019 spin-off film “Hobbs & Shaw” but skipped 2021’s “F9” — said in 2021 he had no intention of returning to the mothership for “Fast X” or any future films.

Diesel, however, refused to take no for an answer. In the fall of 2021, he publicly pleaded with Johnson to come back for the franchise’s final chapters. “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come. The world awaits the finale of ‘Fast 10.’ As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come. Legacy awaits,” Diesel wrote on Instagram. “I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best ‘Fast’ in the finale that is 10!” Diesel wrote. “I say this out of love… but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”

Johnson, however, didn’t respond well to the public pressure. In response, he told CNN he was “surprised” by Diesel’s post and had previously told the star he had no interest in returning to the franchise.

“This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly – and privately – that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem,” Johnson said.

But on Thursday, Johnson revealed he and Diesel met last summer to settle their differences.  “We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love,” Johnson wrote. (He said similar things about the fans coming first in a video posted alongside the tweet.)

“Fast X” ends with a post-credits scene that finds the film’s villain, Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), threatening Hobbs for the role he played in killing Dante’s drug-dealer father in “Fast Five.” (That was the first “Fast” film in which Johnson appeared as Hobbs.) It had been speculated that Hobbs would return for the conclusion of “Fast X,” which had been slated to arrive in theaters in 2025. But according to Deadline, Johnson will play Hobbs in an entirely different film that connects the two “Fast X” parts together; whether Hobbs appears in the official “Fast X” sequel is not yet known – but the trade site reported, “the door is open.” What this means in terms of release dates for the films is also unclear.

That “Fast X” expanded to include two other films is not necessarily a surprise. Back in May, before the film’s release, Diesel himself teased that the finale of the “Fast & Furious” franchise would be three films instead of the previously announced two. “Going into making this movie, the studio asked if this could be a two-parter,” Diesel said to a Fandango reporter Naz Perez on the “Fast X” premiere red carpet. “And after the studio saw this one, they said, ‘Could you make “Fast X” the finale, a trilogy?’”

Added original “Fast & Furious” co-star Michelle Rodriguez, “It’s three acts in any story.” 

It looks like the second act belongs to Johnson in more ways than one.

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