Free Newsletter
Listen to this article
Dwayne Johnson just may be the new ‘Hardest Working Man in Showbiz.” He’s not only co-starring in two potential summer 2017 blockbusters, The Fate of the Furious and Baywatch, but a quick look at his page on imdb.com lists him as having an additional eleven movies hitting theaters by the year 2019. That’s more potential summer blockbuster than almost any actor you can name and, given his popularity, it’s a safe bet that most of them will be worth watching.
This week, Johnson, better known to the world as WWE superstar The Rock, rejoins his family of fast car fanatics in the eighth Fast and Furious franchise movie, The Fate of the Furious. And this time he’s stealing the spotlight from his fellow stars by digging deeper into his character, DSS agent Hobbs.
Writer/producer Chris Morgan worked closely with Johnson to flesh out additional backstory for elite DSS agent Hobbs, the ultimate lawman whose own strict moral code has grown more flexible…thanks to the détente that he and Furious family father figure Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) established years ago.
Johnson appreciated the opportunity for character growth that the new Fast installment gave him, especially the opportunity to spar—verbally and physically—with longtime pal Jason Statham.
He explains: “With Hobbs, there are no handcuffs, and I love how he’s been able to pierce the franchise. Since Fast Five, we’ve set up a foundation where he can say anything. Now, the story of this film gave Jason and me great liberty with where to go. We wanted to fully create this Butch-and-Sundance relationship that audiences are going to love. We have two wisecracking, bad ass guys talking [trash] to each other, but a bond is forming.”
Always game to up his action quotient, Johnson welcomed the ideas that Morgan and the production team came up with for his character.
“When Hobbs must give up his badge, that is a powerful moment. Still, the film puts Hobbs back in a position that is his sweet spot: the space of hunting people down,” Johnson explains.
And whether it is jumping out of buildings, off super max prison catwalks or into frigid waters, Hobbs always get his man. “When you think of gargantuan submarines chasing us, cars being remote controlled, and flying out of buildings, those are just two examples of next-level action here. We’re giving fans a second dessert they didn’t even know to expect.”
