The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) is reportedly in talks to make a massive return as Luke Hobbs in Fast 11, the currently untitled upcoming Fast & Furious movie.
According to Giant Freakin Robot sources, ‘The Great One’ might return to the Universal Pictures franchise, despite well-publicized conflict between Johnson and series lead Vin Diesel. If Dwayne Johnson ultimately does lock down Fast 11, this will be his first appearance in the series since 2017’s The Fate of the Furious.
Dwayne Johnson potentially coming back for Fast 11 is both surprising and somewhat logical, given recent changes in Hollywood. The Central Intelligence star first appeared in 2011’s Fast Five, which was directed by Justin Lin and is generally considered a turning point in the series from a focus on high-octane street racing to the globe-trotting action heist genre. Famously, Dwayne Johnson referred to himself as “franchise Viagra” in this time period, due to his high-profile box office boost to waning film series like Fast & Furious, The Mummy, and G.I. Joe.
Johnson may now need Fast 11 more than the franchise needs him. Until recently, Johnson was being positioned as the center of the post-Zack Snyder DC Extended Universe, with his film Black Adam being pushed as a soft reboot of the franchise and supported by a massive publicity campaign.
While Dwayne Johnson may return as Luke Hobbs for Fast 11, he has already been confirmed to come back to the franchise for a sequel to 2019’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, one of the few major films to ever include two ampersands in a single title. That film has been in development for quite some time without much forward movement.
