Dear Gossips,

It’s time for a #Family news update, as Dwayne Johnson announced yesterday on social media that he is officially returning to the Fast/Furious franchise. We knew this from his appearance in a credit tag in Fast X, but now Johnson is confirming that he will actually star in a sort of spin-off/sort of sequel referred to in his Instagram post as a “fresh, new chapter and setup for Fast X: Part II”.

 

Well, first of all, I hope Fast X: Part II isn’t a real title, and second of all, it is important to note this is NOT a Hobbs & Shaw sequel. Vin Diesel is rumored to hate that movie’s very existence, so this new Hobbs spin-off is more or less “Fast X.5”, telling the story of the “business” between Johnson’s lawman Hobbs and Jason Momoa’s villainous Dante. I mean, I’ll watch it for Momoa alone, but not unlike Dom Toretto, Hobbs needs a good foil, and Jason Statham’s Shaw has been his best foil in these movies. I’m not counting on seeing The Stath in this in betweener chapter in the Fast/Furious saga, because I don’t think Vin would allow it at this point, but I would be more excited for a Hobbs movie, even one with Jason Momoa, if Shaw was also in it. 

 

Also, note in Johnson’s caption that he specifically says this came together “last summer”. That’s important because Black Adam came out—and tanked—in October 2022. So, he’s implying this all happened BEFORE Black Adam imploded, and he suddenly needed a grown-up action franchise at his disposal (as I mentioned before, his other franchises Jumanji and maybe Jungle Cruise are more kid/family oriented). I would like to visit the alternate dimension where Black Adam was a success, though, just to see if Dwayne Johnson still makes time to make a whole ass Fast movie.

There’s a lot of talk here about him and Vin putting the past behind them and making the best decision for the audience, who, apparently, are just desperate for Hobbs to return to the franchise. I guess…? Honestly, the Fast movies are in diminishing returns status in North America, though internationally, they remain good business. I’m just not convinced people actually care that much, especially as the franchise is starting to lose steam (domestically, at least). But Universal will run this franchise straight off a cliff, in true Fast/Furious style, before letting it go gracefully. Watch them find a way to keep making Fast/Furious movies forever.

Live long and gossip,

Sarah