Since the release of a teaser trailer for the upcoming Fast and Furious 9, official titled F9: The Fast Saga, fans have been inquiring whether Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be reprising his role as Luke Hobbs.
The new teaser for Fast and Furious 9 and the cast list on IMDb indicate that The Rock won’t be in Fast and Furious 9, scheduled to premiere on May 22, 2020.
The former professional wrestler first appeared in the Fast & Furious franchise when he played Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (2011). He went on to appear in subsequent installments of the franchise, including Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, and The Fate of the Furious.
Dwayne Johnson then co-starred as Luke Hobbs with Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw in the Fast & Furious spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw.
Fans were looking forward to Johnson’s return as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 9 after he appeared in every installment of the Fast & Furious franchise since his debut in Fast Five. However, many will be disappointed to learn that The Rock won’t return in the next installment of the hit franchise, which just released a new trailer.
Why Dwayne Johnson won’t return in Fast & Furious 9
The Rock’s commitment to the franchise spin-off Hobbs & Shaw and his busy schedule due to several other projects are among reasons why he won’t return for Fast & Furious 9. His feud with Fast & Furious co-stars Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson is another.
Vin Diesel is the main star of the Fast & Furious franchise. He has portrayed Dominic Toretto since the first installment of the series, Fast & Furious (2001).
Rumors of a feud between the two actors first emerged during the production of The Fate of the Furious, released in 2017.
However, Johnson appeared anxious to end the feud and return to the Fast and Furious franchise after the success of his Hobbs and Shaw spin-off movie, released in July 2019. When he took to social media in September to shout out friendly greetings to his Fast and Furious co-stars, many fans hoped it meant he would return as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 9.
“I want to thank brother Vin for your support of Hobbs & Shaw. I saw your post, and I appreciate it… and what a wild ride this has been ten years ago when you and I spoke and you invited me into the Fast and Furious family. I’m grateful for that invite. And as you know, my goal was always, all these years, to come into the Fast & Furious world and help elevate the franchise in any way that I possibly could.”
But others noted at the time that it was unlikely Johnson would appear in Fast and Furious 9 because the production of the movie was already well underway.
Tyrese Gibson’s beef with The Rock
Dwayne Johnson’s shout out to Diesel came after Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson took to Instagram in August 2019 to taunt Johnson about the poor domestic box office performance of Hobbs & Shaw.
“Breaking up the family doesn’t have the value that one would assume it does.”
Johnson fired back in September when he celebrated Hobbs & Shaw making $700 million at the box office worldwide.
Gibson had always been outspoken in his criticism of Johnson’s decision to launch his Hobbs & Shaw spin-off. Gibson had taken to Instagram on multiple occasions in 2017 to voice his disapproval. He complained that Hobbs & Shaw caused Fast and Furious 9 to be delayed.
Dwayne Johnson will be busy on several projects
However, The Rock’s absence for Fast & Furious 9 might only give him more time to work on building his Hobbs & Shaw spin-off franchise. It could mean that fans will get Hobbs & Shaw 2 earlier.
Johnson will also be busy working on multiple new projects, including Jungle Cruise, Black Adam, and Red Notice. However, if he is able to settle his differences with his Fast & Furious colleagues, he could appear in Fast & Furious 10.
Fast and Furious 9 cast
The returning cast for the upcoming Fast and Furious 9 includes Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto), Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz), Jordana Brewster (Mia), Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce), Ludacris (Tej Parker), Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsay), Charlize Theron (Cipher), and Helen Mirren as Magdalene Shaw.
New faces include and Michael Rooker as Buddy. John Cena and Cardi B will appear in yet undisclosed roles.
Fast and Furious 9 premieres on May 22, 2020.