Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson will reprise his Fast and Furious franchise role as Luke Hobbs in a new standalone film.
The professional wrestler-turned-actor announced Hobbs’s return with a video posted to social media on Friday. “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 ‘Fast X: Part II’,” he wrote alongside the clip.
“Last summer Vin Diesel and I put all the past behind us,” the 51-year-old actor mentioned, adding, “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.”
Universal Pictures also revealed the project during the late hours of Thursday. The yet-to-be-titled script has been penned by Chris Morgan, who has written a handful of Fast Saga films, including Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, which saw Johnson starring opposite Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw.
According to reports, the future project will bridge the gap between the events of the recently released Fast X and its upcoming sequel Fast X: Part II, which is set to release in 2025. Johnson appears as diplomatic security service agent Luke Hobbs in a post-credits scene in the recently released Fast X.
Johnson will co-produce the new standalone film with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia for their Seven Bucks Productions along with Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent via their One Race Films. Additional producers include Chris Morgan, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Neal Moritz.
The Black Adam actor will next be seen in an action-adventure Christmas film, Red One, alongside Chris Evans. Directed by Jake Kasdan, it also features Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Liu, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, J. K. Simmons, Nick Kroll and Kristofer Hivju in supporting roles.