Deadpool Star Ryan Reynolds Had the Funniest Idea After Being Contacted To Star in Dwayne Johnson’s $760M Fast & Furious Spin-off

Director David Leitch’s 2019 movie Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw was certainly an exciting addition to the Fast and Furious franchise. The film was praised for its action and star-studded cast, which included actors like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, and Vanessa Kirby.

Actor Ryan Reynolds also had a cameo in the film, uplifting the entire tone, however, Reynolds had a better idea: appearing as Deadpool in the movie. The actor worked with David Leitch in 2018’s Deadpool 2, so he planned out an insane crossover but the idea was scrapped in the end, and Reynolds appeared as Victor Locke in the movie.

Ryan Reynolds wanted to appear as Deadpool in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

It was revealed during the production of 2019’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, that actor Ryan Reynolds was approached by director David Leitch to join the movie. They both bonded while working in 2018’s Deadpool 2 and Reynolds agreed to star in the movie as Victor Locke.

However, Ryan Reynolds initially had a different plan. He wanted to appear as Deadpool in the film. While this crossover would have been wild, the chances of this happening were obviously low. Finally, the idea was scrapped, but Reynolds did appear in the film.

Another Hollywood star was approached for a role

The film’s star Dwayne Johnson reportedly approached actor Jason Momoa to play the role of Hobbs’s brother in the film. Johnson tried his best but scheduling issues prevented it from happening.

At the time, Johnson hinted that Momoa would be appearing in the franchise, saying, “Next Hobbs movie for sure.” Momoa eventually appeared in 2023’s Fast X as Dante Reyes, the son of Fast Five‘s main villain, Hernan Reyes. WWE superstar Joe Anoa’i, also known as Roman Reigns, then played the role of Luke Hobbs’ brother in this movie.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw had two other surprising cameos

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Apart from Ryan Reynolds’ Victor Locke, which is also a play on a 17th-century English philosopher named John Locke, two other Hollywood stars also made short appearances in the film. Actor Rob Delaney appeared as Agent Loeb and Kevin Hart appeared as Air Marshall Dinkley. Given Hart’s bond with Jonhson in real life, we all can understand how he got the role.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw received positive reviews from critics. Johnson and Statham’s chemistry was praised but the film felt underpowered when compared to other Fast & Furious films. The film managed to earn roughly $760 million worldwide on a production budget of $200 million.