Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson launched the first spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise this summer with Hobbs & Shaw, but he might not be finished with the main series just yet. In a new video on his Instagram page, Johnson hinted that he might be making a return in one of the upcoming Fast and Furious sequels, which are expected to be the final two movies in the series.
It appeared that Johnson was finished with the main series now that his character Hobbs had teamed up with Jason Statham’s Shaw in the spinoff—and some reports from over the summer had Johnson not appearing in the Fast and Furious new sequels—but based on his new message, it looks like that could be changing.
“I just want to say thank you guys so, so much,” Johnson says. “You have officially made Hobbs & Shaw not only a massive, global success, as we’ve just crossed $750 million dollars at the global box office, but also, you helped enable a build-out and an expansion of the Fast and Furious universe.”
Johnson also had some words for franchise co-star Vin Diesel: “Lastly, but not least, I want to thank brother Vin [Diesel] for your support of Hobbs & Shaw,” Johnson says. “I saw your post and I appreciate it. … As you know, and what a wild ride this is and what a wild ride this has been, 10 years ago when you and I spoke, you invited me into the Fast & 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. And of course, all roads lead to one thing. I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto.”
What makes Johnson’s message even more interesting is that Johnson and Diesel previously were at odds while filming The Fate of the Furious—which is why many people expected Johnson to be done with the main franchise. But now, it looks like Johnson and Diesel have buried the hatchet. The two previously had a bit of a feud going on while making the eighth film in the franchise.
“That is correct. We were not in any scenes together,” Johnson said in an interview in 2018. “Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer. And what I came to realize is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating. It took me some time, but I’m grateful for that clarify. Whether we work together again or not.”
While Johnson’s video doesn’t make anything official, it looks like the ice has thawed between Johnson and Diesel—and could lead to the duo reuniting on the big screen again. Johnson will next be on the big screen in Jumanji: The Next Level, which will hit theaters December 13, 2019.
