Dwayne Johnson thanks Vin Diesel for Hobbs & Shaw support, hints at Fast & Furious return
As any viewer of the Fast & Furious films knows, there’s nothing more important than family. And it seems Dwayne Johnson has taken that lesson to heart.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Johnson thanked fans for supporting his Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw (which has earned more than $750 million worldwide), as well as the film’s cast and crew, before adding an unexpected additional thank-you. “Lastly, but not least, I want to thank brother Vin [Diesel] for your support of Hobbs & Shaw,” he said.
Johnson went on to recall joining the franchise at Diesel’s invitation (he first appeared in 2011’s Fast Five): “My goal was always, all these years, to come into the Fast & Furious world and help elevate the franchise in any way that I possibly could,” he said, adding, “And of course, all roads lead to one thing. I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto,” referring to Diesel’s F&F character.
This message seems to indicate Johnson and Diesel’s long-simmering feud has been put to rest, hinting as it does at Johnson’s Luke Hobbs rejoining the main Fast & Furious films. While Johnson has confirmed he will not appear in the upcoming ninth installment, a tenth film is already in the works, and never rule out a possible post-credits cameo.
The bad blood between the two stars began in 2016, during production of The Fate of the Furious, when Johnson referred to some of his male coworkers as “candy asses.” “When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you’re right,” he wrote on Instagram. It later became clear that these comments were directed at Diesel. (Johnson also left Diesel off his list of thanks when filming wrapped on Fate.)
Both Johnson and Diesel later commented on the supposed feud in interviews, with Johnson telling Rolling Stone in 2018, “I wish him all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have,” adding, “Actually, you can erase that last part about ‘no ill will.’ We’ll just keep it with the clarity.”
In 2017, Diesel told USA Today, “I don’t think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way. I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don’t think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work [for] this franchise. In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne.”
Fast & Furious 9 is set to be released on May 22, 2020. Though Johnson is sitting this one out, the film will feature plenty of familiar faces, including Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, and Charlize Theron, plus franchise newcomer John Cena.
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