Summary
The impending return of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham to theFast & Furiousfranchise only makes the absence ofHobbs & Shaw 2seem more glaring. Johnson, who is also known by his wrestling moniker “The Rock,” joined the franchise in 2011’sFast Five. Statham was hot on his heels, making a cameo in that movie’s immediate sequel before joining the main cast as Deckard Shaw in 2015’sFurious 7. As is the case with many stars who are given prominent roles in the car-based action franchise, both actors have reprised their roles in multiple sequels.
However, Statham and Johnson’s characters were siloed into the spinoffFast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shawin 2019, potentially due in part to a well-publicized on-set feud between Johnson and his co-star Vin Diesel, who has been part of the franchise since the original 2001 movie. Development on apossibleHobbs & Shaw 2was announced within months of the movie’s release, but it eventually stalled.The project has since morphed into a new in-development spinoff titledHobbs & Reyesthat will tie in with 2023’sFast Xand co-star Johnson with Jason Momoa, in his sophomoreFastouting.
Hobbs & Shaw 2’s Status Makes Fast & Furious’ Future Worrying
Continuing the Fast & Furious franchise through spinoffs might be more difficult than imagined, as proven by Hobbs & Shaw 2’s latest update.
Jason Statham & The Rock Returned To Fast & Furious In Fast X
For some time before Jason Statham andThe Rock’sFast Xreturn, itseemed that theHobbs & Shawspinoff would result in both stars exiting the flagship franchise. At the very least, it seemed possible that their appearances would be relegated to more minor cameos maintaining the franchise’s continuity. In fact, this is what happened with Statham withF9, the firstFastmovie following the release of the spinoff. While he made a special appearance at the end of the movie, he was uncredited and the scene was largely unrelated to the main thrust of the movie’s plot.
Featuring them both was a return to form for the franchise.
However,both stars made appearances in 2023’sFast Xin varying capacities. While Statham returned for a more substantial role in the main plot of the movie, Johnson’s Hobbs made an appearance more akin to Shaw’s cameo in the previous installment. His cameo came during a mid-credits sequence where he was contacted by newcomer villain Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), implying that Hobbs would be making an upcoming appearance in the franchise. While neither appearance was as robust as previous installments featuring the stars in the main cast, the movie featuring them both was a return to form for the franchise.
Statham & Johnson “Reunited” In Fast X Before Hobbs & Shaw 2
They Hadn’t Been In A Fast & Furious Movie Together In Four Years
Despite theHobbs & Shaw 2delay, the duo’s appearances inFast Xtechnically count as a reunion for the spinoff stars. They do not share the screen together in the new installment, which means it was unlikely that they were ever on set at the same time during the production of the movie. However, both of them appearing as part of the ensemble cast of the movie marksthe first time that they have collaborated on a movie in theFastSaga in half a decade, since co-starring in the 2019 spinoff.
Johnson’s busy schedule, which included other early 2020s releases such asBlack Adam,Jungle Cruise, andRed Notice, likely meant that he was never on the set ofFast Xand shot his scene elsewhere.
Hobbs & Shaw 2 Not Happening Still Doesn’t Make Sense
The Original Spinoff Was A Financial Success
Although Johnson and Statham are both being folded back into the primary branch of the franchise, it still doesn’t make sense whyHobbs & Shaw 2has failed to come to fruition. For one thing, the movie was well-received critically. At the time of writing, it istied withThe Fate of the Furiousfor fourth place in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes, as both movies have Fresh 67% scores. All six of the movies below the pair of titles on the review aggregator service’s chart have Rotten scores and matching green splats.
It makes a certain amount of sense that producers may have been skittish to commit to a second installment of the spinoff subfranchise at the time, considering the fact that it wasthe firstFastmovie not to make more than $1 billion in six years. However, it was a box office hit, grossing $760.7 million against a budget of $200 million and becoming the 11th highest-grossing movie of the year, which included multiple billion-dollar titles includingJoker,Frozen II, andAvengers: Endgame. Below, see how the spinoff compares both commercially and critically with the otherFast & Furiousmovies:
The Fast and the Furious(2001)
54%
$38 million
$207.3 million
37%
$76 million
$236.4 million
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift(2006)
$85 million
$159 million
28%
$360.4 million
78%
$125 million
$626.1 million
71%
~$200 million
$788.7 million
81%
$190 million
$1.51 billion
67%
~$260 million
$1.24 billion
$200 million
$760.7 million
59%
~$210 million
$726.2 million
56%
$378.8 million
$714 million
However,Fast Xfinds the franchise in an entirely different place from the time when the spinoff was released. It wasn’t until after the premiere ofHobbs & Shawthat the movies began to take a considerable commercial downturn. The diminishing returns of the flagship series, as well as the ballooning budget ofFast X, which may have prevented it from hitting its break-even point, make the spinoff’s box office results look much stronger in retrospect. While it represented a major downturn from the preceding billion-dollar movies, it is nowthe highest-grossing installment in the franchise in five years.
Hobbs & Shaw Are Set To Be In Fast & Furious 11
The Eleventh Fast & Furious Movie Is Due In 2026
The fact that both Johnson and Statham appeared in theFast Xcastimplied that the characters would be returning for future installments in the franchise. It was later confirmed thatthe plan is for both stars to reprise their iconic roles inFast 11. However, the 2026 sequel has been redeveloped several times and various contradicting announcements have been made about the project since the underperformance of the previous installment, making it unclear which announcements are accurate, including the fact that it is said to be the end of the franchise.
Whether or not Johnson appears in the upcoming movie from the flagship franchise or has his role limited to theHobbs & Reyesmovie that is seemingly being teased by the mid-credits sequence remains to be seen. Ultimately, in spite of the multitude of spinoffs that are in various stages of development,including a standalone movie set in the same universe and a female-led spinoff, it seems thatHobbs & Shaw 2has well and truly fallen by the wayside.
Hobbs and Shaw 2
Hobbs & Shaw 2 is the sequel to the first spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw. Development began right after the release of the first movie, but the main Fast Saga is expected to end before the sequel is finished.
