One of the highlights of The Fate of the Furious was the budding bromance between Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, leaving many fans (including us) wanting a spin-off film starring the two. It seemed like Universal wanted it, too, and had originally filmed a "tag" scene setting up this very movie. However, Vin Diesel reportedly cut it at the last minute, leaving the fate of the spinoff ambiguous for a time. While we may never see that scene, we at least have a description of what it would have been, and why it might have pissed Diesel off.
The Wrap has the breakdown of the scene. Reportedly, it would have featured Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) finally having their promised beatdown, in a scene reminiscent of the ending to Rocky III. Hobbs and Shaw face off, and right before their fists connect, they stop. They two look at each other and then one of them says, "Why are we fighting? We should be working together instead of for that idiot." The idiot in question is Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, and an insider close to the situation revealed that the scene was intended to launch a potential spinoff.
Now it's a little easier to understand why Vin Diesel wanted this cut in the first place if that line about an "idiot" is accurate. Even if it's a joke (calling Dom an idiot is pretty in-character for Hobbs and Shaw), it's doubtful that the star and self-proclaimed "protector" of the series would want to be the butt of a joke that launches two characters -- who are more popular than his own -- into their own movie without him. Plus, the scene doesn't sound all that great to begin with, so this isn't really a major loss for any of us. Either way, the spinoff movie is being pursued.
As the story goes, apparently producer Neal Moritz had the tag filmed without telling Vin Diesel about it. When Diesel did eventually find out, he was reportedly furious and called NBC Universal to voice (read: shout) his displeasure. The cut was already in the movie, so the studio recalled all the theatrical prints and had the scene removed.
A different source tells another story, however, and claims that the scene was originally intended as "bonus content" for the home entertainment release. The executives loved the footage they saw, but ultimately decided not to attach it to the film because "the sequence would make for a better opportunity somewhere else."
Who knows which of these stories is more accurate or if we'll ever see this tag someday on the Blu-ray. What's important is that the spin-off is in the works, and we'll all hopefully get to see Hobbs and Shaw charm the hell out of each other while kicking someone's ass.
Judging by the insane money it's making, you've probably already seen The Fate of the Furious, but if you haven't, it's in theaters right now.
