Dwayne Johnson Replaced Original Choice Tommy Lee Jones as Hobbs in $65M ‘Fast and Furious’ Role after a Fan Suggestion

Dwayne Johnson’s role as Luke Hobbs in the lucrative Fast & Furious franchise underwent a major roller coaster ride, with Johnson declaring his departure from the $6.6 billion franchise. Vin Diesel, on the other hand, added fuel to the fire, escalating his long-standing feud with his former co-star. With the upcoming Fast X emitting all that Hobbs-less energy, it’s only fair to revisit the roots of this iconic role.

Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson may have given his heart and soul to this role, but the irony remains that the Fast & Furious gang never really accepted him, and the actor’s shaky presence in the franchise rested on a fan-girl suggestion. It’s more awful to imagine that the role was initially created for Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones.

Vin Diesel Claimed Dwayne Johnson Was Never Meant For Luke Hobbs

Vin Diesel has never left a chance to mess with Dwayne Johnson. While Fast X killing Diogo raises the stakes for Dom’s story in the upcoming Fast X, Diesel may have intentionally or unintentionally eliminated Luke Hobb’s story from the franchise. The actor is known for butting heads with Johnson, not to forget his infamous “tough love” comment.

Tommy Lee Jones

During a video posted on his Facebook profile, Vin Diesel claimed that certain creative decisions for Fast 5 rested solely on fan suggestions. Diesel boasted that casting Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs was solely based on a fan-girl suggestion, who went by the name Jen Kelly. He said:

“Back in the fifth film, I was asking ‘Who should I work with?’ The reason why we brought Dwayne Johnson into Fast Five was because of you.

There was a girl named Jen (maybe, Jan?) Kelly who said, ‘I would love to see you guys work together on-screen.’ And so, we gave a role that was initially written for Tommy Lee Jones but we gave it to Dwayne, and he shined in it.”

Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs

While the words seem sugar-coated, the actor did admit that the role was initially written for Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Oscar for The Fugitive. Apart from this, Diesel also revealed that decisions like bringing Michelle Rodriguez from the dead and including, Jason Statham as a villain were also inspired by fan suggestions.

Vin Diesel Looks Like The Man Who Runs Fast & Furious Franchise

Based on Vin Diesel’s revelations, one can only imagine how Agent Hobbs’ role would have turned out if Tommy Lee Jones had been cast in the Agent’s role, which finally fell on its nose with Johnson’s departure from the franchise.

While it’s true Lee would have nailed it, of course, eliminating the macho moral compass and adding the antagonist flavor, it’s still hard to imagine Fast & Furious without Johnson. But what’s also true is Vin Diesel’s hierarchy in the franchise, who appears to make all the creative decisions, a job that’s meant for casting directors.

Dwyane Johnson and Vin Diesel

Whatever the scenario, indeed, Diesel cannot imagine a life without the franchise, considering his consecutive flops like The Chronicles of Riddick, The Pacifier, and Find Me Guilty, while his time away from the Fast & Furious team. As for Johnson, fans cannot imagine Luke Hobbs without Johnson being in the role. Johnson appeared in five more sequels that followed Fast 5.

Diesel and Johnson didn’t shoot a single scene together in The Fate of Furious amid their strained relationship. Even though the WWE legend claims to remain unbothered by his departure from the franchise, Fast X’s  May 19 release will certainly pinch as Hobbs & Shaw 2 continues to hang on the gallow of controversy and uncertainty. Fast & Furious films can be purchased on Amazon Prime.