The Fast and Furious family is taking a loss -- for now. Dwayne Johnson caused quite the stir when he and Jason Statham set course for their own spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw, based on the buff frienemy-bros first introduced as Fast antagonists in Fast 5 and Fast & Furious 6, respectively. The pair found their way to heroics along the way, but after stealing the show in The Fate of the Furious, they took they're dynamic duo to a new franchise starter and it sounds like they'll be sitting out Fast and Furious 9.

Johnson spoke with the folks at MTV News and revealed that, for now, there are no plans for him to appear in the sequel -- and it starts shooting soon -- but he might be back in the future.

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Image via Universal Pictures

Johnson explained,

"The plan has always been for the Fast and Furious universe to grow and expand. As of now, we’re not in Fast 9 because they’re getting ready to start shooting. But who knows with Fast 10 and down the road, you never know. Because look, at the end of the day, the truth is, there’s unfinished business between Hobbs and Dom. It’s unfinished."

Now, he does throw in that "as of now," which means a cameo could still come together (especially if Hobbs and Shaw proves to be the biggest breadwinner of the franchise yet), but considering the behind-the-scenes tumult when the spinoff was announced, it would make sense if Hobbs and Shaw sat this one out. Either way, the Fast franchise will be fine. What started with some street racing and TV heists way back in 2001 has evolved into a globe-trotting superhuman adventure with more bald buff guys than a crossfit gym. No doubt, it will continue to evolve as cast member come and go, and there's no doubt that Universal is going to make this billion-plus dollar franchise a priority no matter what that evolution demands.

For now, the next step is Hobbs and Shaw, which recruited Deadpool 2 director David Leitch and pits the deadly duo against Idris Elba -- possibly the only man cooler than the two of them combined. Hobbs and Shaw arrives in theaters on July 26.

For more on the Furious-verse, check out the links below.

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Image via Universal Pictures
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Image via Hiram Garcia, Seven Bucks Productions