The Moana star has been ruffling internet feathers with multiple projects in the last few months.
With movie accolades, adorable videos with his daughters, and box-office film roles, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had been on a roll. His foray into the animated film Moana (2016) earned him a fan base fit for a demigod, and his recurring presence in films like The Fast and the Furious and Jumanji made him a certified star in Hollywood.
Taking his movie-star momentum behind the camera as a producer, Johnson joined DC Films and Warner Bros. to create Black Adam with his production company Seven Bucks Productions.
Co-created with Dany Garcia, the multi-platform company fronted projects like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). While those films reached successful box office numbers, the two recent projects were considered complete flops.
Black Adam (2022) and DC League of Super-Pets (2022) had disappointing debuts, and fans are pointing to the flops as the fuel behind Johnson’s unexpected return to The Fast and the Furious franchise. After Vin Diesel mentioned Johnson’s late arrival to set on Instagram, the two got into social media blows. Diesel’s post about his kids missing Johnson was called “manipulative” by the former WWE star.
With a dramatic exit from the franchise, fans were shocked to see his cameo as Luke Hobbs in the latest installment, Fast X. Raking in $319 million worldwide in its first weekend, Fast X revved up quickly, creating a suspicion that Johnson had ulterior motives in his timely return.
A Surprising Announcement
Brows were raised even higher when a social media post by Johnson announced a new film in the works, reviving his role as Hobbs. In the post, @TheRock said:
Hope you’ve got your funderwear on…
HOBBS IS BACK.
And he just got lei’d
Luke Hobbs will be returning to the Fast & Furious franchise.
Your reactions around the world to Hobbs’ return in Fast X have blown us away
The next Fast & Furious film you’ll see the legendary lawman in will be the HOBBS movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter & set up for FASTX: Part II
Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us. We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love.
I’ve built my career on an “ Audience First” mentality and that will always serve as my
North Star
Congratulations to my Fast Family & Universal Studios on the global success of FAST X and as always, Hobbs & @SevenBucksProd are motivated to help take the Fast franchise to new and exciting places for fans worldwide.
“Daddy’s gotta go to work” ~ HOBBS
Hope you’ve got your funderwear on…
HOBBS IS BACK.
And he just got lei’d 🌺😈Luke Hobbs will be returning to the Fast & Furious franchise.
Your reactions around the world to Hobbs’ return in Fast X have blown us away 🤯🙏🏾🌍
The next Fast & Furious film you’ll see the… pic.twitter.com/vvtBgTBOnl
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 1, 2023
Donning a lei with a similar look to his Moana movie announcement, Johnson retracted his previous statements about the franchise. News of his role in Fast X: Part II comes only a month after Johnson shared a breaking update about a Moana live-action remake in the works.
Although he’s reprising his role as Maui and leading the way behind the scenes with Seven Bucks Production Company, fans have been skeptical of Moana’s timing given the confirmation that Auli’i Cravalho won’t return to the lead as Moana.
Johnson has been accused of leveraging guaranteed money-making movies like The Fast and the Furious and Moana to rebound after failed films like Black Adam, and his intentions have come into question. But with Hamilton director Thomas Kail jumping aboard the Moana boat, some hope has been restored in the hearts of Te Fiti—we mean, Johnson fans.
Whether Johnson can shape-shift his way through a Fast X sequel and a Moana remake simultaneously remains to be seen. With sprawling fan bases for both films, Johnson will likely laugh all the way to the bank no matter how they perform at the box office.
