Dwayne Johnson has been pretty vocal about not returning to the Fast & Furious franchise, and it seems the actor is not going to change his mind, no matter how many pleas are made.
Ever since (and even before) his last appearance in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, Johnson has called out some of his male co-stars for being “candy asses” and “unprofessional.”
Fans quickly speculated the actor was referring to his clash with Vin Diesel, who called the incident just an instance of him giving his co-stars “a lot of tough love.”
Amidst this will-he-won’t-he confusion, fans of the franchise seemed hopeful when Diesel posted a public plea on his Instagram back in November, asking Johnson to return to “fulfill his destiny.”
However, it looks like The Rock is done with the Diesel-led movie series for good. In a new interview with CNN, Johnson talked about how he was surprised with Diesel’s post,
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.
So that settles it then!
The actor did not go soft on his former co-star, calling Diesel’s act a form of “manipulation” by bringing up his kids and the late Paul Walker,
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.
He added that he was grateful for his journey with the crew and hoped only the best for the franchise’s future but was upset about how this “public dialogue has muddied the waters.”
Diesel had called Johnson his “little brother” in the post, mentioning how his children referred to him as “Uncle Dwayne.” The actor also said that Johnson returning was important to fulfill his “promise to Pablo” while talking about Walker.
Although it is unclear whether Johnson will return for the Hobbs and Shaw spin-off, Seven Bucks Productions’ Hiram Garcia recently said that the specifics for the sequel were still being discussed.
The Fast & Furious franchise will conclude with one final story divided into two installments, F10 and F11.
About Fast & Furious
Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious) is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with illegal street racing, heists, spies and family. The franchise also includes short films, a television series, live shows, video games, and theme park attractions. It is distributed by Universal Pictures.
The first film was released in 2001, which began the original trilogy of films focused on illegal street racing, and culminated in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). The series transitioned towards heists and spying with Fast & Furious (2009), and was followed by five sequels, with the most recent, F9, released in 2021. A tenth and eleventh film are planned, and the main films are collectively known as The Fast Saga.
No Comments on The Rock Calls Vin Diesel’s Public Plea to Him a Form of Manipulation