Our Dwayne Johnson Fast & Furious Exclusive Confirmed
Our exclusive report that Dwayne Johnson is returning in Fast 11 has been confirmed by The Wrap.
Three months ago, we were the first to break the news that Dwayne Johnson was returning in Fast and Furious 11, and now our exclusive report has been confirmed by The Wrap. That makes 29 confirmed exclusives from Giant Freakin Robot so far this year, and yet this might be the largest one yet. After the well-publicized fallout between Johnson and Vin Diesel following the filming of Fate of the Furious, no one expected to see them back together again, and yet, it’s happening, as revealed in a Fast X post-credits scene.
After the release of the eighth film, it was reported that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel were never in the same scene together, something viewers noticed through awkward scene cuts. Johnson referred to Diesel as a “candy ass,” sparking a feud that played out over social media for months and ensnared their co-stars, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson, as the drama raged during the press tour. When Hobbs and Shaw was announced, it was widely seen as a peace offering by splitting the franchise into two distinct parts, one for The Rock, and one for Diesel.
To say that fans never thought Dwayne Johnson would return to the main series again is an understatement. Considering that Johnson himself said in an interview with CNN that he had a conversation with Diesel in which he stated explicitly, “I told him directly — and privately — that I would not be returning to the franchise.” Times have changed since 2019, and it’s fair to guess that following a historic box office failure, Johnson is no longer the one saving Fast and Furious; it’s saving him.
Dwayne Johnson was riding high last year with the impending release of Black Adam, about to, in his words, “change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe.” With a worldwide gross of $393 million, the film was barely profitable (and that’s being generous), and it may have severely wounded his draw as a big-budget action star. The following controversies, from Zachary Levi blaming him for Shazam: Fury of the Gods flopping to reported heat with Warner Bros. Discovery executives, have haunted the former WWE champion for the last six months.
Considering that background, it makes sense that Dwayne Johnson would go back to one of the biggest franchises in the world. With a lifetime domestic gross of over $1 billion and approaching $3 billion worldwide, Fast and Furious towers over Jumanji, one of the only other franchise still attached to Johnson.
Adding to the intrigue around Fast and Furious 11 is more recent news from Vin Diesel himself that the film, instead of being the last in the series, will have another follow-up, extending the “end of the road” through another trilogy of films. Could the addition of Dwayne Johnson be the gas that keeps the motor running for two more films? At the moment, it seems that way, and the first time that both stars are back on screen, together, the fan reaction will be strong enough to power a small country.
