'Fast and Furious 8' release date, cast: Producer reveals more about Hobbs and spin-off movie

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as Agent Hobbs in Fast and Furious 7 Universal Pictures

One of the biggest reasons why the "Fast and Furious" franchise is still considered successful is because of the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's portrayal as Agent Hobbs. Hobbs unfortunately had to sit out most of "Fast and the Furious 7" out, but producer Hiram Garcia reveals that the character will be more involved in "Fast 8."

Speaking to Comic Book, Garcia confirmed that scheduling conflicts were the primary reason why Hobbs was not featured all that much in the previous film.

However, after working things out with Johnson, the writers and the other key personnel working on "Fast 8" agreed to give the character a larger presence in the film. He will appear throughout the movie.

In regards to a possible spin-off movie, Garcia confirmed that there is a 100 percent chance that it is going to happen. 

"He's a beloved enough character that they'd love to see what a ride with him would be like in his world," said Garcia. "We have tons of history that we've crafted for this guy that we continue to sprinkle in throughout the movies. You'll see a little bit more in this movie but ultimately we want to take that ride and spin him off and have some fun with it."

However, it is pointed out in a report from Collider that this does not automatically guarantee a spin-off given that the studios have not yet given the official green light.

There is also the fact that Johnson's schedule is getting busy with two more "Fast and Furious" films, the "Baywatch" reboot film and the DCEU film "Shazam," where he plays Black Adam. The DCEU projects alone will lock Johnson in given that the character may have to appear in multiple films such as "Justice League Part Two."

"Fast 8" will release in theaters by April 14, 2017, with the last two sequels launching in 2019 and 2021.

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