The Rock Isn’t Sure If He’ll Be Back For Fast And Furious 9 Because Of Vin Diesel Feud
April 4, 2018Everyone knows the Fast and Furious franchise isn't just about flying cars, girls in bikinis, The Rock punching stuff, and rogue submarines; it's about family. Behind the scenes, however, there's a serious rift between the franchise's biggest stars: Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It appears as though things have gone from bad to worse since production on Fate of the Furious wrapped in 2016 — and it's put Johnson's future in the Fast films in major jeopardy.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson finally opened up on the infamous feud between him and Diesel, confirming that the pair did not shoot any scenes together in the eighth installment of the franchise.
"Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer," he said. "And what I came to realize is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating. It took me some time, but I'm grateful for that clarity. Whether we work together again or not."
Back in 2016, while shooting Fate of the Furious, Johnson took to Instagram to call out one of his male costars for being an unprofessional "candy ass" on set. It of course didn't take long for TMZ to dig up the dirt and report that Johnson and Diesel had been at odds throughout the arduous production. The reason? Diesel's work ethic. According to TMZ, Diesel, a producer on the film, often held up production because he wouldn't come out of his trailer on time.
Still, it's disheartening for fans of the beloved franchise to hear that Johnson and Diesel are so at odds that it's affecting the future of the Fast films. When asked if he'd appear in the forthcoming Fast and Furious 9, Johnson said, "I'm not quite sure."
But that doesn't mean Johnson is giving up Hobbs for good. In fact, he's hard at work developing the first Fast and Furious spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw, costarring Jason Statham. According to DJ, he wants to make it as "good as it can be." Though, the spin-off has also been embroiled in its own controversy after actor Tyrese Gibson, who's been part of the franchise since 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, lashed out at Johnson for holding up production on the ninth Fast installment, which was pushed to 2020 to accommodate Hobbs and Shaw.
As for Diesel, Johnson wishes him "all the best," adding, "I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have."
He then quickly added, "Actually, you can erase that last part about ‘no ill will.’ We’ll just keep it with the clarity."
Buckle up: There's still a lot of gas left in this feud.