Fast & Furious And The Rock Need Each Other Now More Than Ever
This post contains major spoilers for "Fast X."
Come what may in the future, the main series of "Fast & Furious" is coming to an end, with "Fast X" now in theaters. It's been billed from the start as a two-part finale to the Fast Saga, with "Fast & Furious 11" teed up by the film's cliffhanger ending. As for what's to come in the presumed finale (assuming it doesn't actually become a trilogy)? That remains uncertain, but for those who have seen the movie, we know a couple of things for sure. 1) Dom and the gang have unfinished business with Jason Momoa's Dante. 2) The Rock is returning as Luke Hobbs to finish his business with the franchise's new big baddie.
In a mid-credits scene attached to "Fast X," we see a masked man wandering some sort of warehouse set up by Dante — the son of Herman Reyes, the main villain in "Fast Five" who is looking to carve a path of revenge against Dom and anyone who ever helped him. This means Hobbs is squarely in Dante's crosshairs, bringing him back into the fold. It's a somewhat unexpected turn of events.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bowed out of the main series to make the spin-off "Hobbs & Shaw," which was pretty successful when it hit theaters back in 2019. Johnson had a public feud with Vin Diesel when "The Fate of the Furious" was in production, which pushed one of the series' biggest stars out of the ensemble. However, the fates have willed it that Hobbs will be rejoining the Fast Family for the grand finale. It's fitting given that Johnson was such a big part of what made these movies bigger than what they had been after being introduced in "Fast Five."
So, why is Johnson coming back now? Put simply, he needs "Fast & Furious" just as much as it needs him at this very moment.
The Rock's recent track record
It simply cannot be overstated just how beloved The Rock was for so long. The man built up an insane amount of goodwill with the moviegoing public and largely avoided any controversy in the social media age as one of — if not the single — biggest stars in the world. It was downright remarkable. Did everyone like all of his movies? No. "Baywatch" is still part of the equation, but audiences loved the wrestler-turned-actor to a remarkable degree. Unfortunately, that ship finally crashed on the rocks recently thanks to "Black Adam."
Johnson had been trying for years to make the DC Comics adaptation, and he was originally supposed to play a villain in the "Shazam!" movie. But as his star power grew, a solo film became a logical choice. Sort of. Unfortunately, Johnson's ego seemed to get in the way and he made a power grab behind the scenes at DC, attempting to pivot the DC Universe around "Black Adam." That failed spectacularly, and Johnson's public damage control made a flop look downright bad, for him very specifically. It damaged his image both in the eyes of the public and those in Hollywood who wanted to work with him.
At the same time, "DC League of Super-Pets" disappointed, as did "Jungle Cruise," even when taking into account the pandemic of it all. The last time he had an unmitigated theatrical hit? 2019 when both "Jumanji: The Next Level" and (you guessed it) "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" hit theaters.
The Fast & Furious movies have been missing something
All of this to say, Johnson kind of needs a surefire hit and "Fast & Furious 11" is about as sure as things get. Granted, Universal may not be able to get the budget under control, but in terms of pure "this movie is going to sell a lot of tickets," this is as close to a guarantee as the movie business ever affords. That having been said, it's not as though Hobbs showing back up for the grand finale only benefits The Rock. Universal clearly stands to benefit from his return as well, and it could be just what the series needs to provide a satisfying conclusion.
"Fast Five" was a true turning point for the franchise and, while there are many reasons for that, Hobbs is right near the top of the list. "Hobbs & Shaw" was able to become a big success in its own right because the character was at the center of four of those movies in a row, all of which were massive successes. But losing Hobbs was truly difficult to weather, particularly because the movies already had to say goodbye to Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor following his untimely passing during the production of "Furious 7." The films have struggled a bit ever since to counterbalance Diesel's Dominic Toretto, as the heart and soul of "Fast & Furious" has been missing.
Hobbs can't replace Brian, but having him back can help fill a void and add a much-needed something to the mix to help bring this series across the finish line in a satisfying manner. Dwayne Johnson is returned because it behooved him to do so at this very moment. Had "Black Adam" been a runaway success? He probably would have been perfectly happy to stay away until/unless "Hobbs & Shaw 2" ever gets made. It may not be for the best of reasons, but it finally became mutually beneficial for this reunion to take place.
"Fast X" is in theaters now.