Summary

• WWE commitments may prevent John Cena from returning to the Fast & Furious franchise for the final installment in 2026.
• Cena's character Jakob Toretto's fate in the previous film poses a challenge for his potential return in Fast & Furious 11.
• The crowded cast of big characters and stars in the franchise leaves little room for Cena's character to fit in the storyline.

John Cena's Fast & Furious villains who have become a hero, and given Jakob is the protagonist's brother, it makes sense he would eventually team up with the main crew, especially since it allows Cena to flex his comedic chops.

He has been a great addition to the franchise and helped elevate both movies he was a part of, proving Fast & Furious made a great decision by bringing him into the blockbuster spectacle. However, the actor's chances of coming back for the final installment dipped massively after one big announcement, meaning John Cena's return as Jakob in Fast & Furious 11 looks less likely than ever. Despite being incredibly active since transitioning from wrestling to acting, Cena confirmed one project that could take up the majority of his 2025, which leaves little time for a final send-off.

John Cena’s WWE Plans Make His Fast & Furious Return Near Impossible

Cena Will Spend Most Of 2025 With The WWE, Leaving Little Time For A Fast & Furious Return

While it would be great to see John Cena reprise his Fast & Furious role in the final movie, it looks incredibly unlikely after the actor announced his WWE return. During 2024's Money in the Bank event, Cena showed up to reveal he would be having one final run with the company in 2025. Rather than simply returning for one match and heading off into the sunset, the 16x World Champion confirmed he would be working dates throughout the entire year. Cena mentioned participating in the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania, which are significant for his F&F 11 chances.

Fast & Furious 11 is currently scheduled to be released in 2026.

The final Fast & Furious movie will reportedly begin filming at the start of 2025, which Cena looks unlikely to be available for. Given it is his final run with the company, he will likely commit himself heavily to wrestling for most of the year, only taking on a few minor projects in the process. Although Cena's WWE retirement could be good for his movie franchises after 2025, his best chance at a Fast & Furious return now seems to be in the form of a spinoff, rather than in the saga's final main movie.

John Cena’s Fast & Furious 11 Return Already Faced Some Huge Challenges

Jakob Toretto's Fast X Ending Seemingly Finished The Character's Story

Although John Cena's WWE run will undoubtedly be the biggest obstacle blocking his Fast & Furious 11 return, there were already plenty of other challenges. The biggest of these was Jakob's fate in the previous film, as Cena's character was seemingly killed off towards Fast X's climax. While the franchise has previously brought characters back who appeared to have been killed off, revealing Jakob is still alive in Fast & Furious would have little impact considering audiences haven't had time to miss him. In addition, Fast X has already brought back some huge names, meaning Cena's presence is less necessary.

Opting to actually follow through with Jakob's death would make the feud between Dom and Dante more personal in Fast & Furious 11.

The Rock's appearance in Fast X essentially replaces Cena's star power, while Gal Gadot's return as Giselle all but confirms Jakob's Fast & Furious death. Bringing back these beloved characters provides no real reason to force Cena into the narrative, especially when the likes of Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, and Alan Ritchson all ed the franchise recently. With so many big characters and stars, there is little room for Cena's character in the story, and opting to actually follow through with Jakob's death would make the feud between Dom and Dante more personal in Fast & Furious 11.