Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has responded to Vin Diesel's Instagram invitation for him to return to Fast & Furious 10 by saying that, not only is there "no chance" he would rejoin the franchise, but that Diesel's post was "an example of his manipulation."
Speaking to CNN, Johnson was asked if he was surprised by Diesel's post that requested he "must show up" for Fast & Furious 10 and "rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."
"I was very surprised by Vin's recent post," Johnson said. "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."
He continued to say that Diesel's move was "an example of his manipulation" and that it was wrong for him to bring up Johnson's kids and Paul Walker's death in his public attempt to bring him back as Luke Hobbs once again.
"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."
Johnson and Diesel's feud began in 2016 when The Rock called out an unnamed male co-star as a "candy ass." While their fight appeared to be over in 2019, Johnson publicly revealed earlier this year that he would no longer be part of the Fast & Furious family after Diesel made comments that he had to show Johnson "tough love" to get the performance they wanted out of him.
Johnson had been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since 2011's Fast Five and his final appearance in the mainline films was 2017's The Fate of the Furious. In 2019, he did return to his character for Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham.
The Dwayne Johnson-less Fast & Furious 10 will be released in theaters on May 19, 2023.
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Speaking to CNN, Johnson was asked if he was surprised by Diesel's post that requested he "must show up" for Fast & Furious 10 and "rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."
"I was very surprised by Vin's recent post," Johnson said. "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."
He continued to say that Diesel's move was "an example of his manipulation" and that it was wrong for him to bring up Johnson's kids and Paul Walker's death in his public attempt to bring him back as Luke Hobbs once again.
"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."
Johnson and Diesel's feud began in 2016 when The Rock called out an unnamed male co-star as a "candy ass." While their fight appeared to be over in 2019, Johnson publicly revealed earlier this year that he would no longer be part of the Fast & Furious family after Diesel made comments that he had to show Johnson "tough love" to get the performance they wanted out of him.
Johnson had been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since 2011's Fast Five and his final appearance in the mainline films was 2017's The Fate of the Furious. In 2019, he did return to his character for Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham.
The Dwayne Johnson-less Fast & Furious 10 will be released in theaters on May 19, 2023.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Continue reading...