Given that "Fast and Furious 7" earned over $1 billion at the box office, it comes as no surprise that the development of an eighth installment is being fast-tracked. Although no released date has been officially confirmed, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has confirmed via a report by Collider that he will be returning as CIA agent Luke Hobbs.
When asked if Luke Hobbs would be in the next entry in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, the actor responded adamantly about Hobbs' return and that the film wouldn't move forward without him.
It make sense since the main characters of the films, including Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, have gone from illegal racers to thiefs and are now mercenaries working directly under Hobbs and the CIA. The last film might have said good-bye to actor Paul Walker but now, the other characters have bigger opportunities that tie in with the intelligence agency.
During the interview, Johnson also stated that a Hobbs spin-off film is underway. A spin-off has been in discussion since "Fast & Furious 6" and it was rumored that it would enter production between the sixth and seventh movie or at least some time before the eighth film is released.
"We all are interested in it," Johnson told Collider. "I just had a big conversation with the studio. So we'll see. I still think for me personally we've created a little bit of space for him in 7 and the gauge is set for what the audience will want. That's my take on it, you know, but a lot of other people have to have input."
"Fast and Furious 8" is still in its early phases of development so it might be possible that a Hobbs spin-off could get off the ground before the character is once again seen with Dominic Toretto and the "Fast and Furious" crew.
