The public tug-of-war between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson has been fascinating. Neither man, both very prideful especially when it comes to their individual star power, has wanted to show any weakness at all, which made Diesel’s public plea for Johnson to return to the Fast & Furious franchise a bit strange if you’ve only been paying casual attention it. It came after Diesel’s insulting “tough love” comments about Johnson, and a humiliating reference to the Hobbs & Shaw actor as his “little brother.”
So is there any surprise that Johnson has shot down any hopes of a return to the franchise? Well, the actual surprise is that Johnson says he told Diesel this last summer, and that Diesel’s plea had ulterior motives behind it. Johnson told CNN…
“I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post,” said Johnson. “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.”
“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.”
Damn. If Johnson is being real here, then Diesel really looks like a dickhead. At the same time, I have to believe Diesel knew Johnson wouldn’t keep quiet about this, so perhaps his appeal was genuine even if he knew the answer would be “no”?
I don’t know, what do you think? Sadly, F10 looks to be taking place without Johnson on May 19th 2023.
