Universal Pictures is in active development on an untitled new “Fast & Furious” film starring Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
Although plot details are being kept under wraps, according to insiders with knowledge of the project, the film won’t be a sequel to “Hobbs & Shaw” or a spinoff. Instead, it will be a direct continuation of the main “Fast Saga” story, serving as a bridge between “Fast X” and “Fast X: Part II.”
Longtime “Fast & Furious” collaborator Chris Morgan, who also wrote “Hobbs & Shaw,” wrote the screenplay.
Producers are Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia for their Seven Bucks Productions and Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent for their One Race Films. Also producing are Chris Morgan for his Chris Morgan Productions, Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, and Neal Moritz for Original Film.
Johnson recently returned to the franchise and appeared in the post-credits scene for “Fast X” after bowing out following “The Fate of the Furious.” Johnson was last seen in the franchise in “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” which grossed more than $750 million worldwide.
While the “Fast & Furious” franchise began as two-hander anchored by Diesel and the late Paul Walker, it evolved into a true ensemble saga and its commercial highs throughout the 2010s were implicitly or explicitly tied to the added value that Johnson’s hard-charging, butt-kicking super cop Luke Hobbs brought to the series.
Over the course of 10 films, the “Fast & Furious” franchise has earned more than $7 billion at the worldwide box office.
The tenth chapter, “Fast X,” opened with $320 million worldwide in May and became the second-biggest global opening of 2023. The film opened at No. 1 in all markets where it was released, including China. “Fast X” crossed $500 million in its second weekend with a healthy summer play period to come.
Morgan is best known for his extensive work in the “Fast & Furious” universe. He wrote and produced “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” The Fate of The Furious,” “Furious 7,” and “Fast & Furious 6” and wrote “Fast Five,” Fast & Furious” and The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.”
Johnson most recently starred in and produced the DC film “Black Adam” and stars opposite Chris Evans in the upcoming Prime Video Christmas film “Red One,” due to be released later this year.
Johnson is repped by WME, lawyers Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc. and The Lede Company.