Celebrity feuds happen every so often, usually capturing the attention of the public in the process. One of these disagreements currently playing out is shared between Fast and Furious’ Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel. And The Rock has gotten honest about their strained relationship, and his departure from the beloved Fast franchise.
The Fast and Furious is one of the biggest action titles in the film industry, with tons of fans willing to shell out money to see Dom's adventures with the family. But Dwayne Johnson departed the main franchise in favor of a spinoff. Vin Diesel recently made a public appeal for Johnson to return to the main timeline in its final installments, which is something that the Jumanji actor didn’t appreciate. As The Rock recently explained,
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.
And just like that, the plot has thickened. While Vin Diesel made a very public message to Dwayne Johnson about the future of the Fast and the Furious franchise, it seems the situation was actually resolved in privacy. Namely because Johnson spoke to both the studio and Diesel himself about his intention not to return to the main franchise.
Dwayne Johnson gave his side of the story during an interview with CNN about his career, business ventures, and possible political future. Eventually the conversation turned to the ongoing situation with Vin Diesel about The Fast and the Furious. And he didn’t hold back his true feelings about the very public feud.
Later in that same interview, The Rock went into further detail about his feelings regarding Vin Diesel. Specifically, the way he tried to get the actor-producer to return to the Fast and Furious franchise. As Johnson explained,
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.
There you have it. Dwayne Johnson doesn’t throw any jabs Vin Diesel’s way, but it’s clear that he didn’t appreciate the latest call-out from his former co-star. Especially since Diesel brought up both his own children, and late actor Paul Walker. It seems that those public comments actually did the opposite of what Diesel hoped they would.
While we shouldn’t expect Dwayne Johnson’s character Luke Hobbs to show up in the final Fast and Furious movies, he still supports the franchise and his former co-stars. We’ll just have to see if Hobbs and Shaw 2 ever becomes a reality.
The Fast and the Furious 10 is currently expected to hit theaters May of 2023, while Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will be released July 29th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
