The Fast & Furious “family” has continued to grow over the years and so Fast X is absolutely bursting with stars, but one major name has been conspicuous by his absence for the last couple of films. Dwayne Johnson did not return for F9 and he doesn’t appear in Fast X either, until the very end that is. Fans were more than shocked that Johnson returned to the franchise after saying there was no chance of that.
Even before the movie hit theaters it was revealed that the Fast X mid-credits scene starred Dwayne Johnson, hinting that he’ll play a significant role in the upcoming Fast & Furious 11. ET asked Vin Diesel about The Rock returning to the fold after the feud the pair had, Diesel says that the franchise is a place where actors can play great characters that fans love, and that’s why they keep coming back. Diesel explained…
We have such a great cast. We lead with love. We try to create an environment where people can do their best work. That's all actors really want, is to feel as though they're supported to create unique characters. Characters that last forever and you see that in this franchise.
Diesel doesn’t respond to the fact that a big part of the reason that Johnson didn’t appear in F9 apparently had to do with problems the two had with each other. Johnson originally made some veiled comments while working on the set of The Fate of the Furious that indicated he thought somebody on the set was being unprofessional. It eventually turned out he was talking about Diesel. While there had been some indications Johnson and Diesel got over their issues and were cool with each other, that apparently didn’t mean Johnson was interested in going through that again.
The Rock’s focus turned to his Hobbs & Shaw spinoff movie with Jason Statham and then he didn’t appear in F9. Vin Diesel made some very public comments when he asked Johnson to return for Fast X, and Johnson made an equally public response when he said “no.” At this point, we don’t know if all that was theater to hide Johnson’s return or if the deal that got him back came later.
There’s an argument to be made that Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs is a big part of what made the Fast & Furious franchise what it is today. The character first appeared in Fast Five, the movie widely regarded as the best of the franchise, and the movie that transitioned to the film from being merely popular to becoming a global phenomenon. It’s also a big part of the reason Johnson broke out as a movie star.
While there’s a lot we don’t know about Fast & Furious 11, though I have a fantastic idea that includes Dwayne Johnson, it is sure to be a huge movie now that one of the world’s biggest movie stars has come back to the family.
