Why Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Quit the ‘Fast & Furious’ Movies

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as Luke Hobbs in the Fast and the Furious series. Most recently, he appeared on the franchise’s 2019 spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw. Will he return to the main series though? During an interview with Collider, Hiram Garcia, the producer and president of production at Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, addressed the matter. 

Garcia spoke with the publication in order to promote Jungle Cruise, Johnson’s newest flick in which he stars alongside Emily Blunt. Naturally, the conversation turned towards the other projects that Garcia and Johnson have in the works for their production company. According to the producer, they do still have plans to come out with Hobbs and Shaw 2. Garcia said, “At the moment we’re trying to figure out what that sequel is going to be, but we have some very big ideas.”

However, when it comes to Johnson’s involvement in the mainline Fast franchise, fans may not be seeing too much of Hobbs. Although, Garcia did stress that the actor’s exit from the Fast and the Furious films will not impede on their work for Hobbs and Shaw 2, adding, “After filming Fast 8, DJ made the clear decision to close the Fast & Furious chapter for all the evident reasons. He wished them all well and shifted our focus on to other story telling avenues.”

“So while he will not be in F10 or F11, that won’t in any way interfere with our Hobbs plans,” Garcia continued. “Obviously all these characters exist in the Fast universe and we love to see all aspects of that universe thrive and succeed. We just have specific plans for what we want to do with the Hobbs character and I think the fans are going to love it! We’re working to deliver something very unique and fresh and we know the studio is eager for us to get into it ASAP!” So, unfortunately for Hobbs fans, you won’t be seeing the character in either of the next two Fast movies.

There’s been some speculation that Johnson’s feud with his Fast and the Furious co-star Vin Diesel may play into why he won’t return to the series. But, both of the actors have put that feud business to rest. In 2019, Johnson and Diesel both said that they had reconciled. Diesel even recently commented on their relationship by saying that he gave Johnson “a lot of tough love” to get his performance “where it needed to be,” per Men’s Health. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, published in July, the Jumanji actor said about those comments, “I laughed and I laughed hard. I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I’ll leave it at that.”

The latest outing in the Fast and the Furious franchise, F9: The Fast Saga, came out in late June.The film starred Fast mainstays including Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. According to Diesel, they will begin production on Fast 10 in January 2022. The movie does not have a release date just yet.