Editor’s Note: This article contains major spoilers forFast X.
TheFast and Furiousfranchise has a few surprises left up its sleeves, despite sending the family to space, using giant magnets, driving cars out of planes, driving off one skyscraper onto another and, most shockingly of all, stealing DVD players. One surprise almost nobody expected, however,came at the conclusion ofFast X- the (supposedly) penultimate edition of theFastfranchise.
In a post-credits sting, a tease was dropped for the remaining episodes in the series, and it featured a character many did not expect to see return to the franchise before it had concluded,asking questions about where the story would head from here.
The scene in question featuresDwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs returning to the franchise, after missing the previous installment,F9, owing to a fallout between Johnson and series stalwartVin Diesel. The falling out between the pair was fractious to say the least, but it seems the man who brought Johnson back into the family was actuallydirectorLouis Leterrier,as he explained toTotal Film. Leterrier confirmed that, once the film was finished, late in the day he reached out to Johnson’s team to show them the film and extended the olive branch that was ultimately accepted by The Rock, bringing him back into the fold.
RELATED:‘Fast X’ Post-Credits Scene Explained: The Calvary Is Here
How Did Leterrier Bring Back The Rock?
“It came together because I am a fan. I am the fan that started being a filmmaker when the first movie came out, so I grew up watching these movies. They were always the high mark of what I was trying to do I love these characters, I love these actors. For me, nothing was off the table. I asked the studio, the producers, can we reach out and show them the movie, can we have a conversation? Because, as a fan, my greatest hope is to have this movie finish at its character apex.
It’s about the characters and the themes – and how all these pieces and these characters that they created are going to come together to finish this franchise – possibly the greatest action franchise in the world – at its peak. And the peak is only done through characters.”
The beef between Johnson and Diesel had gone on for a number of years, stemming from an Instagram message posted around the end of shootingFate of the Furiousin August 2016. In it, he criticized unnamed male actors he worked with, referring to them as “candy asses”, one of his signature catchphrases from his WWE heyday. It was also reported thatDiesel resented the massive success ofHobbs & Shaw, the spin-off film featuring Johnson andJason Statham.
In 2018, Johnson stated that the two had “a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating", and it was reported they didn’t shoot any of their scenes inFate of the Furioustogether, which Johnson later confirmed, adding: “I thought that was the best thing to do. For everybody.“In 2021, Johnson confirmed he had no desire to return to theFastseries.
However, with Johnson now returning to the series - perhaps conveniently, after what hasbeen a chastening six months for the actor- hopefully bygones can be bygones, and the duo can get on with entertaining the world in the remaining installments.
Fast Xis in cinemas now. Catch the trailer for the movie down below.
