NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
In the closing credits to ‘Fast X’, it was revealed that Luke Hobbs, played by The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) will be reprising his role in the Fast and Furious franchise. To the surprise and delight of fans, this was about as good as Paul Walker coming back. However, things are not what they appear to be on the surface.
According to The Rock himself, there is a slight hitch to all this. While he is indeed returning to the franchise, he will do so with his own solo movie first. With ‘Fast X: Part 2’ set to drop in 2025, Johnson said in his public statement that we will see a bridge movie that will be created around his character.
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“
But wait, isn’t that what really started the beef in the first place,? How could the franchise give him and Jason Statham a spinoff (‘Hobbs and Shaw’) before anyone else got theirs? For Tyrese who plays Roman, this was a slap in the face. But then you add the back-and-forth between Johnson and Vin Diesel, and things got really messy.
The Rock Is Returning To The Fast and Furious Family
The Rock said that he would never return to the franchise, but years later, here he is. The rumors are that he needed this after his career has taken a hit with a few duds under his belt. He may need the Fast and Furious franchise more than they need him. But first things first, he will get his own movie before he even shares a screen with his ex-co-stars again. Wow!!!
There is no official word when the Hobbs movie will be released but by his statement, it will come out before we get the conclusion to ‘Fast X’. All this seems pretty weird considering what has transpired over the last few years. According to Johnson, he and Diesel have put their issues to the side and are willing to work together again. That has to be right since Diesel will co-produce the new Hobbs movie as he’s done with the other Fast and Furious movies. So, the only way Johnson is able to get back into the franchise was with the blessing of Diesel.
Would this even have happened if The Rock’s last few movies did well? That’s a question that many are asking. As big of a star as he is, Fast and Furious has been great for him. And with the franchise supposedly set to ride off into the sunset, Johnson would be foolish to let his pride get in the way of a big payday and return to a franchise that helped put him on the map as an action star.
This movie is supposed to pick up right after the call that Dante made to Hobbs in the end-credit scene. This still begs the question of why he gets his own stand-alone movie when everyone else is still sharing screen time. There is a good chance that Shaw will make an appearance but it’s already been stated that this is not a sequel to ‘Hobbs and Shaw’.
In the grand scheme of things, it looks like a win-win for everyone involved. Fast and Furious gets their crew back and The Rock gets a chance to salvage his career.
