With Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson officially returning to the Fast & Furious franchise, the saga has more star power than ever, but his role already sounds extremely complicated. Fast Five marked The Rock’s first appearance in the franchise and remains one of his best-acting outings to date, with his character – Luke Hobbs – becoming a central part of the story. However, despite his frequent appearances and elevated role, The Rock’s Fast & Furious feud with Vin Diesel led to the actor leaving the main movies and getting his own spinoff film alongside Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw.
Given how important Diesel is to the franchise, it looked like The Rock’s time in the main saga was done, which made Luke Hobbs’ Fast X return even more surprising. In the movie’s post-credits scene, Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) set his sights on a masked man by threatening him over the phone, before the closing shot revealed that the mystery target was none other than Luke Hobbs. The well-executed twist set up an exciting future for The Rock in the final movie, but with a Hobbs spinoff in the works, his future seems way more complex than it should be.
Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X Returned Teased Hobbs’ Major Fast & Furious 11 Role
Hobbs’ Cameo In Fast X Indicated That He Would Be A Central Part Of Fast & Furious 11
Fast X’s final moments set up an important role for Luke Hobbs in Fast and Furious 11, with The Rock’s character looking destined to join the fight against Dante. Although Dante is easily Fast & Furious’ goofiest villain, his flamboyant nature makes his sinister acts even more menacing, as he is a truly cunning antagonist despite his playful performances. Therefore, the protagonists need all the support they can get, making Hobbs’ return a crucial part of the final film. He is clearly a physical threat, and his history as a bounty hunter could also come in handy for the crew.
Given the heroes were on the back foot at the end of Fast X, Hobbs’ return is the perfect way to even the playing field and is the kind of role that would entice The Rock. Fast X’s Hobbs reveal made the character feel like a huge deal, all but confirming that he will play an integral part in the upcoming story. It seems like he will be a key driving force behind stopping Reyes, and while the final showdown will ultimately be between Diesel and Momoa, The Rock will undoubtedly play a big part throughout Fast & Furious 11.
The Rock’s Hobbs Spinoff Movie Was Announced Shortly After Fast X’s Release
Fast & Furious Confirmed A Hobbs Solo Movie Was In The Works
Although The Rock is set to appear in Fast & Furious 11, a Hobbs spinoff was announced shortly after Fast X, adding to the confusion surrounding his return. Had Fast X simply set up his role in the next outing, things would be pretty simple for The Rock’s future in the franchise; however, his upcoming spinoff makes things way more complicated. His solo movie will give the franchise a chance to expand on the character’s story and explain where he has been during his absence, but the Hobbs spinoff creates a confusing timeline after Fast X.
It seems likely that the film will be set before Fast X, and given there are already questions about where Hobbs & Shaw fits into the timeline, the new spinoff becomes even harder to follow. There is no guarantee the movie will come out before Fast & Furious 11, meaning this announcement only complicates matters further. Giving The Rock his own film may have been a key factor in bringing him back to the franchise, but his upcoming movie creates plenty of problems that Fast & Furious will have to address heading into its final outing.
Movie
Budget
Box Office (Worldwide)
The Fast and the Furious
$38 million
$207 million
2 Fast 2 Furious
$76 million
$236 million
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
$85 million
$159 million
Fast & Furious
$85 million
$360 million
Fast Five
$125 million
$626 million
Fast & Furious 6
$160 million
$788 million
Furious 7
$190 million
$1.5 billion
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
$200 million
$760 million
The Fate of the Furious
$250 million
$1.2 billion
F9
$200 million
$726 million
Fast X
$340 million
$714 million
A Year Later, Little Is Known About Hobbs’ New Spinoff Movie
The Franchise Has Revealed Very Little Information On The Rock’s Fast & Furious Spinoff
Despite being announced shortly after Fast X, The Rock’s spinoff has had no significant updates in the past year. The confirmation of Fast & Furious’ Hobbs spinoff seemed like the perfect setup for the character’s return in F&F 11, but the lack of news on the film is slightly concerning. Although a rumored title suggested Jason Momoa would appear as Dante Reyes, Johnson is still the only confirmed actor on board the project a whole year after it was announced. There have been no significant story or production updates either, leaving plenty of factors unknown about the upcoming movie.
With The Rock having various other films in the works, such as The Smashing Machine, Jungle Cruise 2, and two Moana projects, it’s unclear when exactly the Hobbs spinoff will enter production. To make matters worse, despite Fast & Furious 11’s delay, the movie will begin filming in 2025 and be released in 2026, meaning the chances of Hobbs’ spinoff coming out beforehand are even less likely. While the movie isn’t currently in danger of being canceled, the possibility of it releasing after Fast & Furious 11 could impact the franchise’s ending plan, especially if it involved Momoa.
Can The Rock’s Hobbs Movie Fit Into Fast & Furious’ Ending Plans?
The Hobbs Movie Was Supposed To Bridge The Gap To Fast & Furious 11
Given Fast & Furious 11 will end the main saga, fitting Hobbs’ spinoff into this may be more difficult than first anticipated. The Hobbs movie appeared to be the perfect way to bridge the gap between Fast X and Fast & Furious 11 by reintroducing The Rock’s character to the franchise and setting up his personal story with Dante. It would have added even more hype to the conclusion of Fast X and could have made the wait between the two main movies feel shorter, but the lack of details surrounding the spinoff makes the future uncertain.
The Rock’s swift productions still leave a glimmer of hope that the movie could be completed before Fast & Furious 11.
The Rock’s swift productions still leave a glimmer of hope that the movie could be completed before Fast & Furious 11, but without knowing if there is a finished script or who is on board, it is purely speculation. Even though Dominic Toretto’s story looks set to end alongside some other major characters in F&F 11, the franchise may still continue with spinoffs and The Rock could be a big part of that. Alongside Johnson’s spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw 2 is still a possibility, but this only makes it more important that his solo adventure fits into the ending plan.
If the Hobbs spinoff can be turned over quickly and released within the next year or so, it should still fit into Fast & Furious’ overall ending. However, if the project is delayed, it would work better as a setup for the franchise’s next steps, by introducing new characters and taking Fast & Furious in a new direction.