The feud between Fast & Furious stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson has resurfaced in a major way. After Diesel made a public plea to Johnson to return for the franchise’s two-part tenth film on his Instagram last month, Johnson has responded with a pretty definitive refusal to appear in The Fast Saga‘s climax.
Johnson first joined the franchise in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs, a federal agent charged with chasing Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his gang across the world. Hobbs and Dom’s team became allies for the next films, but a clash between Diesel and Johnson on The Fate of the Furious caused a rift between the two and instead of appearing in F9, Johnson instead starred as Hobbs again in the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, a rival turned reluctant ally of Hobbs’.
In his Instagram post, Diesel said “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo [Paul Walker]. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10! I say this out of love… but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”
Speaking with CNN about his career inside and out of acting, Johnson opened up on the offer and resoundly refused, saying “I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post. This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly — and privately — that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem.”
Johnson continued and did not mince words when it came to his view of Diesel’s tactic post, saying “Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast & Furious franchise with gratitude and grace. It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I’m confident in the Fast universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience, and I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter.”
While Johnson will not appear in the Fast & Furious franchise proper, he is still signed on for a Hobbs & Shaw sequel in the Fast universe. Screenwriter Chris Morgan is returning to write the sequel while a director and creative team are still being formed. Johnson recently spoke about the sequel as “the antithesis of what Fast & Furious movies generally are” and give Luke Hobbs a definitive ending.
Fast & Furious 10 will be split into two films to serve as a grand finale for the long-running franchise. Universal had set a release date for April 7, 2023, but earlier this month announced a delay to May 19, 2023. While plot details are being kept under wraps for the final two films, the cast will include Vin Diesel, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson. Justin Lin, the director of the ninth film in the series as well as several previous instalments, is set to return to the director’s chair for the final two films.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
