Dwayne Johnson And Jason Statham Won't Star In Fast And Furious 9

The world of the Fast and Furious movies has just been - ahem - 'rocked' by some shocking news, as it turns out fan favourites Hobbs and Shaw won't be making an appearance in the new release.

The franchise is set to do without the duo, played by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and former Commonwealth diver Jason Statham, for its forthcoming ninth outing.

But is the series losing the musclebound stars permanently? Not at all. In fact, they've just been filming their own spin-off from the blockbuster saga, called - imaginatively - Hobbs and Shaw.

Johnson announced on his Instagram account this week that the trailer for the action-packed film is set to drop tomorrow.

But with so much money at stake, the chances are the pair will return in a future Fast and Furious movie - you'd have to imagine they're bound to keep that gravy train running for as long as possible.

And the 46-year-old Johnson, who plays Luke Hobbs, almost said as much, though he can't make any promises.

PA

Speaking to MTV News, the former wrestler said: "The plan has always been for the Fast and Furious universe to grow and expand.

"As of now, we're not in Fast 9 because they're getting ready to start shooting. But who knows with Fast 10 and down the road, you never know."

While some may suspect the decision to stay out of the new film is actually down to the Rock's feud with fellow star Vin Diesel, Johnson claimed there was 'no ill will' between the two.

According to the Hawaiian actor, the decision to make a spin-off movie is down to his 'biting chemistry' with action star Statham, and he says the pair have been thinking about doing a film together for the past six years.

Speaking in December, he said: "We started talking about the potential of a spin-off really after Fast Five.

"And then when Fast Six came around, that's when we started having real talks about it, but then the challenge was just finding out what the creative could be and how we cracked that.

"I'm really happy that we were not only able to crack the creative and really lean into the relationship and chemistry - the biting chemistry between myself and Jason Statham - but I think that also you find out that it's something the fans have been wanting for some time now."

Sounds promising.

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Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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