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Dwayne Johnson Confirms He's Not In Fast & Furious 9
Dwayne Johnson confirmed his character Hobbs won’t be appearing in Fast & Furious 9. The character of Hobbs has become such an important part of the series it’s easy to forget he only joined in Fast Five. That entry marked a departure in tone for the franchise, moving away from the street racing angle to becoming more like heist movies with elaborate action scenes. Hobbs was introduced as the ultimate antagonist to Dom’s (Vin Diesel) team: a federal agent who will stop at nothing to apprehend them.
Of course, he soon became an honorary member of their clan and has appeared in every installment since. Johnson had a well-publicized falling out with co-star and producer Diesel during production on The Fate Of The Furious, and it was later revealed they didn’t film any scenes together. Johnson also displayed strong chemistry with Jason Statham during the film, and it was decided the two should join forces for a spinoff that would later be titled Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. It appears Diesel may not have agreed with this plan, as he reportedly cut a post-credit scene from Fate that teased this solo movie.
Neither co-star Tyrese Gibson nor longtime franchise producer Neal H. Moritz appeared happy about Hobbs & Shaw either, with the former calling out Johnson for agreeing to it and the latter suing the studio. Now in a new conversation with MTV News, Johnson confirmed he won’t be appearing in Fast & Furious 9. That said, he does leave the door open for a return to the main series and claims Hobbs and Dom still have business to sort out.
The plan has always been for the Fast and Furious universe to grow and expand. As of now, we’re not in Fast 9 because they’re getting ready to start shooting. But who knows with Fast 10 and down the road, you never know. Because look, at the end of the day, the truth is, there’s unfinished business between Hobbs and Dom. It’s unfinished.
Given the popularity of Hobbs, it could be seen as an odd move to not have the character appear in Fast & Furious 9 at all. While Johnson sitting out the movie could purely be a result of the actor’s wildly busy schedule, there’s likely still simmering tension between Johnson and Diesel that needs to be cleared first before they work together again. The star appears open to returning in Fast & Furious 10 - which is set to end the main series - so he knows fans would like to see the Hobbs and Dom relationship resolved.
Regardless of any behind the scenes drama, the fanbase appears very excited for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The movie is opening the door for other spinoffs in that universe too, with Diesel recently confirming a female spinoff is in the works. Fast & Furious 9 itself is due to starting filming soon for an April 2020 release date.
Untitled Fast & Furious Spinoff/Hobbs & Shaw (2019) release date: Aug 02, 2019
Fast & Furious 9 (2020) release date: Apr 10, 2020
