Dwayne Johnson Just Dropped A Bomb About His Future In The Fast And Furious Franchise
As you might know, Dwayne Johnson is a Hollywood mainstay with so many famous movie credits to his name that it's easy to lose count of them all. Ever since he made his transition from being The Rock in the WWE to the big screen, Johnson has joined a number of ongoing franchises, including "G.I. Joe," "Jumanji," and there's even a sequel to "San Andreas" coming out at some point. And while it's a major feather in his cap that Johnson is all set to star as Black Adam for the DCEU, there is one franchise for which he is very well known — "The Fast and the Furious."
Since first appearing as Hobbs in "Fast Five" back in 2011, Johnson went on to reprise the role four more times, including in the spin-off film in which he co-stars with Jason Statham, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." However, the only thing more well-known about Johnson playing Hobbs — other than him kicking butt and taking names — is the notorious beef between Johnson and Mr. Family himself, Vin Diesel.
Diesel, of course, has played Dominic Toretto in the "Fast & Furious" franchise from the very beginning and continues to star in the franchise's films, including the latest installment, "F9." As big of a star as The Rock may be, Vin Diesel is basically the face of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, so this latest unfortunate development wasn't exactly unforeseeable — especially in light of said public beef.
Dwayne Johnson did not appear in "F9," and now he has something to say about both that omission and whether or not he'll appear in any other films within the franchise going forward. Here's what Dwayne Johnson said about appearing in any future "Fast & Furious" films.
If you're waiting for more Hobbs, don't hold your breath
Two things of note are worth mentioning before discussing Dwayne Johnson's future in the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise. One, there are supposedly (and take this with a grain of salt) only two more movies left in the franchise before the story wraps. Two, Vin Diesel recently tried to explain the feud between him and Dwayne Johnson. In a recent interview with Men's Health, Diesel passed off the beef as intentional on his part. "I could give a lot of tough love," said Diesel. "Not Felliniesque, but I would do anything I'd have to do in order to get performances in anything I'm producing."
It turns out that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson heard about Diesel's comments, and had a very specific response. "I laughed and I laughed hard," said Johnson while doing an interview alongside Emily Blunt with The Hollywood Reporter to promote "Jungle Cruise," their upcoming Disney film, and another franchise-in-the-making. "I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I'll leave it at that."
Except, of course, Johnson did not leave it at that. "And that I've wished them well," he continued. "I wish them well on '[F9].' And I wish them the best of luck on 'Fast 10' and 'Fast 11' and the rest of the 'Fast & Furious' movies they do that will be without me." In other words, it certainly seems like Johnson is done with "The Fast & Furious" franchise permanently. "Just thank God he was there," Emily Blunt chimed in about Diesel. "Thank God. He carried you through that." Sounds like Johnson has made at least one ally in his Disney co-star.
"Felliniesque," Johnson said in response.
We all smell what The Rock is cooking
There was plenty of space in Diesel's somewhat self-serving explanation of the beef for Johnson to leave it squashed, but his comments during the press junket for "Jungle Cruise" suggest hatchet burying isn't in the cards for him and Vin. While he never provided anything close to the Full Sherman in his response to questions about his future with the "Fast & Furious" franchise, his obvious disdain for Diesel's comments — not to mention the sarcastic addition from Blunt — suggest it would take quite an overture to rope him back into the family. It's not like he's really hurting for the work, either.
Johnson just completed what he described as one of the most physically and mentally demanding experiences of his career preparing for and filming "Black Adam," and given the anticipation for that particular feature, it seems likely he'll become a mainstay with the DC Extended Universe for the foreseeable future. Long before that superhero flick reaches screens, however, his starring turn in the long-awaited "Jungle Cruise" is set to debut. The House of Mouse certainly hopes that "Cruise" will become the next "Pirates of the Caribbean," in which case Dwayne Johnson's Frank "Skipper" Wolff will be the next Captain Jack Sparrow. That sounds like another franchise role if we've ever heard one.
"Jungle Cruise" hits theaters on Friday, July 30 and will also be available on Disney+ Premier Access for $29.99.