When Fast X hit theaters, fans were shocked by the movie’s unexpected return of Luke Hobbs, the fan-favorite character first played by Dwayne Johnson in Fast Five. While Hobbs was last seen alive, his return was still shocking due to The Rock previously saying he would never come back to the franchise. In fact, Vin Diesel made a public plea to Johnson back in 2021 asking him to return, but The Rock slammed Diesel’s request, calling it “an example of his manipulation.” Previously, Fast X director Louis Leterrier explained how he managed to get Johnson to change his mind about returning to the franchise. This week, Leterrier had a chat with ComicBook.com‘s Chris Killian in honor of Fast X‘s home release and was asked about Johnson and Diesel’s reconciliation.
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“I just like the idea of them coming back together,” Leterrier explained. “What I realized – I’m like you, I was a fan reading – they’ve been talking all along. They were like text buddies wishing each other ‘Happy Birthday,’ ‘Merry Christmas.’ But being each in each other’s life … It’s more like, with these two characters work in the same universe, especially since Hobbs & Shaw was such a different tone. It was such a different departure from the original franchise … We collectively looked at each other and said, ‘Frankly, wouldn’t it be great? Not only for the franchise, but also for the fans and for you guys, for us just to get back on the same train together?’ And that’s a conversation that they had. I was lucky to be able to work with Dwayne that one day and possibly more looking forward.”
He continued, “The thing about my reaching this position on this franchise is that I grew up as a fan … I’m the kid in the candy store and the owners have left, I’m like, ‘All right, here we go. Let’s go!’ … My wishes become reality, you know, if everybody agrees.”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They’re really good,” Leterrier added when asked if he’s worried about serving as a referee between Diesel and Johnson. “There’s no fight. Honestly, this set is so lovely, so fun, so enjoyable. … I’m not giving you lip service. I really had a great time. Like I was nervous. I was nervous, you know, I walked in, I was nervous, but everybody works so hard and wants the best for these franchises. Yeah. No, it’s really about forward momentum and we have it.”
You can watch our interview with Leterrier above.
Fast X is available digitally now and will debut on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 8th. For now, Fast X: Part 2 is scheduled to be released on April 2, 2025.
