Source: VCG / Getty
With all the recent Fast & Furious memes about the strength of family and the public reconciliation of The Rock (real name Dwayne Johnson) with Vin Diesel and Tyrese, it would make sense that his role of Agent Luke Hobbs would return and close out the decades-long saga. But according to Hiram Garcia, president, and partner of The Rock’s production company Seven Bucks, we’ve already seen the last of Agent Hobbs in the main F&F arc.
“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,” he informed Collider. “So while he will not be in F10 or F11, that won’t in any way interfere with our Hobbs plans. Obviously, all these characters exist in the Fast universe, and we love to see all aspects of that universe thrive and succeed.”
The “evident reasons” comment by Garcia referenced the feud between the former 8x WWF/E Heavyweight World Champ and Vin Diesel, which was sparked by Diesel’s manner of dealing with him. “My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be,” he explained to Men’s Health earlier this year. “Not Felliniesque,” he said later in the interview, “but I would do anything I’d have to do in order to get performances in anything I’m producing.”
The Rock was reportedly irritated with how Diesel carried himself and posted an IG clip some time later. “You guys reading this know how much I believe in the idea of TEAM EFFORT. That means respecting every person, their time and their value…” he wrote. “Family is gonna have differences of opinion and fundamental core beliefs. To me, conflict can be a good thing, when it’s followed by great resolution.”
Johnson took a harsher sneak diss on a now-deleted post. “Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” he wrote. “The ones that don’t are too chicken sh*t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.” Johnson then had a foreboding interview with Rolling Stone later that year. “Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer,” he said. “It took me some time, but I’m grateful for that clarity. Whether we work together again or not.”
The Rock looks like he’s comfortably moved on, too. Disney’s latest movie Jungle Cruise, starring him and Emily Blunt, was No. 1 at the box office this weekend and pulled in $90 million, which is not too shabby in post-COVID times.
And Garcia told Newsweek that Johnson is already working on Hobbs and Shaw 2, anyway. “We’re full steam ahead on that, we’ve got a great story,” he said in June, “a big fun story… I’m real excited [about] where it’s going but we’ll continue to push along. We know fans wanted it, that first one, was received really well and so that’s what we needed to know, that the fans wanted more, so we’re going to deliver it.”