Dwayne Johnson's Fast & Furious Announcement Confirms Vin Diesel Feud Ended Earlier Than We Thought
"Fast & Furious" stars Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are truly like family. Not only do they fight like brothers, but they also make up like family, too. It's no secret that Johnson and Diesel have had a long-standing feud since 2016, per Us Weekly. But it seems both parties are ready to leave that in the past and embark upon another project together.
In May 2023, fans were stunned to discover that Johnson was in the post-credit scenes of "Fast X," playing his character Hobbs. Die-hard fans of the franchise were ecstatic at the possibility of the "Jumanji" actor returning. Well, Johnson revealed on Twitter that he would be making his comeback to the franchise. He shared, "Hope you've got your funderwear on... HOBBS IS BACK. And he just got lei'd. Luke Hobbs will be returning to the Fast & Furious franchise..." But what about his feud with Diesel?
Johnson shocked fans once more by revealing that he and Diesel have settled their differences. He wrote on Twitter, "Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us. We'll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love." Seems wild to think they settled things in 2022 when they were just going at each other's throats in 2021, but hey, fans are more than happy that the two are not only getting along, but are going to create some movie magic once more!
What started the feud between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson?
Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel's feud goes way back, although they did start as friends. According to Us Weekly, the former wrestler joined the "Fast & Furious" cast back in 2011. Things were smooth sailing for the pair, as Johnson starred in the sixth and seventh films of the series. But it all came crashing down in 2016 when Johnson shared a shocking Instagram post.
Social media can be a good thing... and sometimes it can be a bad thing. In this case, it was bad. Insider reported that Johnson took to both Facebook and Instagram to share his thoughts on his "Fast & Furious" co-stars. "My female co-stars are always amazing and I love 'em. My male co-stars however are a different story," Johnson wrote. "Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don't. The ones that don't are too chicken s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy a**es." Johnson never mentioned Diesel by name, but it was evident to fans that he was throwing shade at this co-star in particular. According to USA Today, Diesel responded to Johnson's post by promising fans to tell them "everything."
Even though it seemed as though Diesel was offended by what Johnson said, he definitely didn't show it. At the premiere of "The Fate of the Furious," the actor suggested his feud with the "Black Adam" star was "blown out of proportion," per USA Today.
Fellow Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson got involved
It looks like Tyrese Gibson might have been Team Vin Diesel when it came down to the feud. After it was announced that Dwayne Johnson could have his own spin-off series surrounding his character, Luke Hobbs, Gibson encouraged the former WWE wrestler to turn down the position, per Insider. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Gibson addressed Johnson directly, saying, "If you move forward with that Hobbs movie you will have purposely ignored the heart to heart moment we had in my sprinter. I don't wanna hear from you until you remember what we talked about." Gibson never shared the details of their talk, but clearly, it wasn't enough, because spoiler alert, Johnson ended up doing the spin-off.
Although fans thought this was the end of it, Gibson took one more jab at the "Jumanji" actor on social media. According to his post, the "Fast & Furious" star blamed Johnson for the delay of the ninth film. Gibson wrote, "#PSA Congratulations to @TheRock and your brother in law aka 7 bucks producing partner @hhgarcia41 for making the fast and the furious franchise about YOU...Gn folks see you in 2020 April #FastFamily right? Nah..... it's about #TeamDewayne #3yrs will it be worth the wait?" Despite Gibson's claims, Diesel took a more neutral approach as he revealed on Instagram that no one, in particular, was to blame for the delays. However, "Fast & Furious" fans weren't so sure.
Vin Diesel begged Dwayne Johnson to come back to Fast & Furious
The "Fast & Furious" franchise has become an integral part of Vin Diesel's life and career, so it's not surprising that he wanted an all-star cast for the tenth film, even if that included his frenemy, Dwayne Johnson. In 2021, Diesel wrote a heartfelt post asking the "Black Adam" star to return to the franchise. He said, "My little brother Dwayne... the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10."
For Diesel, getting Johnson to star in the film was personal. Not only because he had been a part of the franchise for so long, but because he made a "promise" to Paul Walker to make the best finale. Diesel ended the post by asking Johnson to consider coming back to play Luke Hobbs: "I say this out of love... but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can't be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."
Despite Diesel's plea, Johnson opened up to CNN about how he initially rejected his co-star's proposal to return to "Fast & Furious." Johnson even went as far as to call Diesel's post a tactic of "manipulation." However, it seems like he had a change of heart now that he has revealed he will be reprising his role — and fans can't wait to see Diesel and Johnson reunite!