Last week, Universal Pictures announced that it has pushed back the ninth instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise to 2020, instead opting to focus its immediate attention on the rumoured spinoff centred around Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).
In response to the news, Tyrese Gibson lashed out at The Rock, accusing Johnson of making the franchise about himself and slamming his series co-star on several occasions on social media. And now Vin Diesel has shared his own thoughts on the reshuffle, and it appears he’s a lot more positive about the situation than Tyrese:
“I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed… but it would be unfair to say it is anyone’s fault. As we plot the course to expand the Fast & Furious universe, one must be mindful to take stock of the roads we took to get here. The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success. However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe eight times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon… stay tuned. Yours truly, Dom #FamilyAlways.”
Meanwhile, Johnson also took to Twitter to post a brief message about the spinoff:
My goal from day 1 was to come in and create an exciting/fun character for the fans, elevate the franchise and build it out. #HobbsShaw2019 https://t.co/IJcdQTHSi3
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 6, 2017
The spinoff movie is set for release on July 26th 2019, with Fast & Furious 9 following on April 10th 2020.