In 2011, Justin Lin is back behind the camera of the “Fast and Furious” saga to direct the 5th episode. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, they’re all back. The film is also an opportunity to introduce a new character: Luke Hobbs. If the character is played by Dwayne Johnson, it was originally written for a completely different actor.
Fast and Furious 5 : Justin Lin king of the license
In 2011, the fifth episode of the saga Fast and Furious see the day in dark rooms. A somewhat special chapter since the feature film brings back a lot of well-known faces from previous parts. In addition to Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, the feature film also features the returns of Jordana Brewster (Mia), Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce) that we hadn’t seen since the second episode, by Gal Gadot (Gisèle), Sung Kang (Han) or even Ludacris, who has also been absent since 2 Fast 2 Furious. We can also note the return of Vince, played by Matt Schulze, absent from the franchise since the very first chapter.
If it is Justin Lin who directs Fast and Furious 5, the filmmaker was only the production’s third choice. Indeed, Universal rather wanted Rob Cohen behind the camera, the director of the first Fast and Furious. As a second choice, the studio had John Singleton in the sights, responsible for 2 Fast 2 Furious. It’s finally Justin Lin, who had already directed episodes 3 and 4, who was chosen to direct. A profitable choice Fast and Furious 5 turned out to be a success. Considered by many to be the best opus of the license, the feature film has especially brought in more than $626 million in box office receipts.
The first appearance of Luke Hobbs
Fast and Furious 5 also mark the appearance of a brand new character: Luke Hobbs. The main antagonist of the film, Luke Hobbs is a federal agent who sets off in pursuit of Dom and his gang. The latter set up a final blow. A mind-blowing robbery in Rio, to then retire permanently. But Luke Hobbs has every intention of putting a spoke in their wheels.
It is Dwayne Johnson who was chosen to play this determined federal agent. The former wrestler was selected to stand up to Vin Diesel and his gang. However, screenwriters Chris Morgan and Gary Scott Thompson had written the character of Hobbs for a completely different comedian. Indeed, for the duo, the federal agent was to be played by the famous and talented Tommy Lee Jones. Difficult to know if the actor was approached by the production or if he was replaced by Dwayne Johnson before any discussion. It is also difficult to imagine Tommy Lee Jones, who was 65 at the time of Fast and Furious 5, instead of Dwayne Johnson’s ultra hefty muscles. The confrontations between the two protagonists would have been very different with Tommy Lee Jones.
A change from Vin Diesel himself
Apparently, this change would have come from Vin Diesel himself. According to OrangeVin Diesel said that the choice of Dwayne Johnson was motivated by the fans themselves:
The reason we hired Dwayne Johnson for ‘Fast & Furious 5’ is you. There was a girl named Jan Kelly who said, ‘I would love to see you guys work together on screen. So the role, which was originally written for Tomme Lee Jones, was given to Dwayne and he excelled in it.
A rather ironic statement when you know that afterwards, the two actors violently argued on the set of Fast and Furious 8. A confusion that even led to the departure of Dwayne Johnson from the franchise. Maybe if it had been Tommy Lee Jones, things would have been better. Anyway, it is now quite complicated to imagine an actor other than Dwayne Johnson in the skin of Luke Hobbs.
