Dwayne Johnson Says He’s Done With The Fast Saga, Calling Vin Diesel’s Invitation To Return “An Example Of Manipulation”

Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast & Furious franchise in its fifth installment back in 2011. He played Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent who was a secondary antagonist-turned-ally to Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his crew. Johnson reprised the role in the sixth, seventh, and eighth installment, after which everything went down the hill between two action stars.

After wrapping the production of The Fate of the Furious (eighth installment), Johnson decided to leave the main franchise and play Hobbs again in Hobbs & Shaw, the spin-off which followed Hobbs’ team-up with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. Since the making of the spin-off pushed the production of F9, which was released last summer, that also created tension between Johnson and Tyrese Gibson, who plays Roman Pierce in the main series.

Last November, Vin Diesel wrote a longer post on his Instagram account, publicly inviting Johnson to return to the main franchise in Fast 10, which is set to begin production soon. Johnson made it clear that he will not return to the main franchise, but he wished the cast and crew the best of luck and success in the future.

“I told [Diesel] directly 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. 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 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. I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter.” — Dwayne Johnson for CNN

The tenth and eleventh installments of the Fast saga are set to be filmed back-to-back as a two-part finale of the main franchise, and the production is set to begin in early 2022. Fast & Furious veteran Justin Lin will direct both movies, and Vin Diesel is set to return alongside other co-stars Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, etc. Fast & Furious 10 is set to be released in May 2023.

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