Dwayne Johnson isn't back playing Luke Hobbs in F9; here's the reason why and if the actor's feud with Vin Diesel is responsible. The former WWE star helped elevate the Fast & Furious franchise to new heights once he joined. Johnson's Hobbs debuted in Fast Five and had sizeable roles in the three sequels to follow. He made Hobbs such a fan-favorite character in the franchise that he received a spinoff with Jason Statham, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
The Fast & Furious franchise is now continuing with a new installment in the main franchise, F9. The movie once again revolves around Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family, which refers to both his talented crew and actual blood relatives. F9 boasts a massive cast around Diesel, with franchise regulars like Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, and Tyrese Gibson returning. It also marks the return of Sung Kang as Han in a move to further retcon the character's death. Dom's family will grow once more with the introduction of Jakob (John Cena), his previously unmentioned brother. Even with this large cast, audiences won't see Johnson appear in F9.
Original reports about Fast & Furious 9's development signaled that Johnson would return as Hobbs. However, The Rock later confirmed that this wouldn't be the case. He didn't provide an official reason for his absence at the time, but the actor's busy schedule likely played a factor. Tyrese Gibson previously called out Dwayne Johnson for possibly delaying F9's production, so the decision might've been made to keep Hobbs out so the rest of the franchise can move forward. In addition to Johnson's packed personal work schedule, the real reason that he's missing from the movie might be his feud with Diesel.
Prior to the release of The Fate of the Furious, it became widely known that The Rock and Vin Diesel did not enjoy working together. This led to both actors making vague statements on social media about their co-stars, but it reached a boiling point with the eighth movie. Johnson and Diesel refused to film scenes together, with Johnson positioning himself as the franchise's biggest star. While both Johnson and Diesel seemingly put their feud to rest more recently, there appears to still be some hostility between them, as Diesel has mentioned the tough love he gave Johnson in an effort to improve his acting.
With Johnson missing from F9, where does that leave Hobbs' future in the Fast & Furious franchise? He's teased that a return for Fast & Furious 10 is in the cards, especially if the feud with Diesel is in the past. Even if Johnson and Diesel don't see eye-to-eye still, Hobbs' return in Fast 10 or Fast & Furious 11 would be a huge moment for the franchise. That would get plenty of fans even more excited for the upcoming sequels, so it makes sense for the story and for financial reasons that Hobbs and Dom will share the screen again. Beyond that, there is also an expectation that Hobbs & Shaw 2 will be made. So even though Johnson isn't in F9, audiences should get to see him again.
