The one absolutely heartbreaking event that forced Dwayne Johnson to put his beloved Hobbs & Shaw spin-off on hold.

SUMMARY

The talks of a Luke Hobbs starrer spin-off had been going on for a long time before Hobbs & Shaw was released in 2019.
However, before it could come about Paul Walker’s unfortunate passing stopped all plans, putting it on hold.
But thanks to the reception that Fast 8 received, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham were given the impetus to finally create the spin-off.

Hobbs & Shaw is now among the highest-grossing Fast & Furious movies of all time, thanks to its take and intriguing characters. Starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw respectively, the movie was welcomed by fans although the critics weren’t particularly pleased.

The Fast & Furious franchise

However, before the movie was released, Johnson was all too happy about the movie, claiming that it would turn out to be f**king great! And being happy did he deserve to be for a very tragic event almost shelved the spin-off even way before its eventual release in 2019.

Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs & Shaw Was Delayed Due To A Tragic Event

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in Hobbs & Shaw

It is no secret that the cast and crew of the Fast & Furious franchise had to face one of their worst nightmares, the death of their beloved friend, Paul Walker in a devastating car crash back in 2013. He was just 30 when he passed away, and his passing brought on the worst pain unimaginable to many of his cast members, who were like a family at that point.

While Walker’s sudden passing left a lot of holes to be filled and unfinished business, it was also the tragic event that delayed the Dwayne Johnson starrer, Hobbs & Shaw. Back in 2019, just days before the movie’s release, Johnson sat down with Entertainment Weekly and revealed how the spin-off had to face multiple delays.

“It was after Furious 7 that we were going to do the spin-off, but then, of course, with the passing of Paul [Walker] and the incredible amount of heartache that had caused not only his family but certainly the world and us, we felt like, let’s put that on hold and let’s put all of our focus and attention on Fast 8.”

He also stated how the spin-off discussions had been going on since Fast 5 but it wasn’t until Furious 7 that they started to develop. However, with Walker’s passing it was natural for everyone to focus more on Fast 8.

Fast 8 Gave Dwayne Johnson The Impetus To Develop Hobbs & Shaw

Hobbs & Shaw was finally released in 2019 after much delay
We would have gotten a Hobbs’ spin-off way earlier, but even the production thought it would be better to have the character more evolved and interwoven into the Fast & Furious world. The spin-off was once again brought forth after Furious 7 but eventually got shelved in the wake of Walker’s passing.

But it was the audience’s reaction to Fast 8 that gave Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham the impetus to create a Hobbs & Shaw spin-off (via Entertainment Weekly).

“And it was in Fast 8, to get you an answer, it was finding it in Fast 8 that when Jason and I sat down… we recognized very quickly that we had this cool and unique bond… we felt like, hey, let’s give this a shot. Let’s lean into the chemistry and let’s lean into some comedy and see where it goes…”

That is how the $760 million (via Numbers) movie was made, and fans can not wait to witness their chemistry once again as the billion-dollar-grossing franchise moves forward now that Johnson is back.