There will be spoilers ahead for Fast X, so read on at your peril.
While there’s obviously no reason to put stock in anything anyone in Hollywood says, Dwayne Johnson was so adamant that his time as part of the Fast & Furious franchise was over that there was no reason not to believe him.
The Rock has built his entire reputation and brand on being a man of the people who does almost everything with his fans in mind, so when he stated in no uncertain terms that he would never be seen in The Fast Saga as Luke Hobbs again following his long-running beef with Vin Diesel, it was expected we’d all take him at his word.
Of course, that all changed when The Rock rocked back up to the plate to make his shocking return at the end of Fast X, thus proving he’s no longer to be trusted. It was a surprise more down to how harshly he’d voiced his dismay at Diesel’s transparent attempts to bring him back into the fold more than anything else, but director Louis Leterrier made it sound so simple and straightforward in an interview with Total Film.
“It came together because I am a fan. I am the fan that started being a filmmaker when the first movie came out, so I grew up watching these movies. They were always the high mark of what I was trying to do. I love these characters, I love these actors. For me, nothing was off the table. I asked the studio, the producers, can we reach out and show them the movie, can we have a conversation? Because, as a fan, my greatest hope is to have this movie finish at its character apex. “
Presumably a large pile of money helped, not to mention Johnson’s box office drawing power seemingly being on the wane, but going back on his word is never a good look for someone who’d always made such a song and dance over the strength of their principles, even if it does set up the second half of Fast X to be even more spectacular.