It was recently reported that the release date forFast & Furious 9has been pushed back a full year, from April 19th, 2019 to April 10th, 2020, leading many to speculate about why this could have happened. Many immediately put the blame on the official announcement of theFast and Furious Spin-Offmovie that will starDwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham, which has been rumored and hinted at for over a year now by Johnson and the industry. One of the people to place immediate blame on Dwayne Johnson was co-star Tyrese Gibson, who blamed him for breaking up the family. After the accusations and rumors started to pile up, Johnson had an unlikely ally set the record straight.
Vin Diesel took to Instagram, which may very well be theFast and Furiouscast’s favorite social media outlet, to stick up for his alleged feuding partner,Dwayne Johnson. The feud has been widely reported about over the years after Johnson called out some people fromFast and Furious, calling them “candy asses,” which everyone thought was aimed directly at Vin Diesel. But Diesel has gone to great lengths to tell people to just get over it and now he’s at it again.
Over the weekend, Vin Diesel posted a picture of himself and Dwayne Johnson on the set with a caption clarifying the situation of the delays forFast and Furious 9, while focusing on the complicated brotherhood between he and Johnson. He explains.
“Brotherhood… and all it’s complexities. This scene was filmed in Puerto Rico, I can remember it like it was yesterday. Such a beautiful island, the people were so warm and welcoming. I turned 43 that summer… and my son Vincent was born. A woman named Jan Kelly responded to a question I had asked on Facebook, ‘who they would like to see me work with?’ She said would love to see me work with Dwayne… I listened to her request and he became Hobbs.”
The caption seems to hint that he and Johnson are still on good terms and that their relationship, like many, is complicated. Vin Diesel also thought about the first time he ever realized that working with Dwayne Johnson would be a great idea, thanks to a fan on Facebook.
Vin Diesel then goes on to explain the delay forFast and Furious 9, disputingTyrese Gibson’s claimsthat the blame fell squarely on Dwayne Johnson. He had this to say.
“I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed… but it would be unfair to say it is anyone’s fault. As we plot the course to expand theFast & Furiousuniverse, one must be mindful to take stock of the roads we took to get here. The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success.”
Diesel then goes on to say that theFast and Furiousfranchise needs some maintenance and hints that he asked for more time to take care of it. He explains.
“However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon… stay tuned.”
As it turns out, Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson seem to have the same goal in mind when it comes to theFast and Furious franchise: making it better and securing its legacy.
Brotherhood is indeed a tricky situation for the men of theFast and Furiousfranchise. Just as one feud begins to cool off and settle, another one begins. Regardless, it seems that Tyrese Gibson’s comments about Dwayne Johnson being solely responsible for the delay ofFast and Furious 9are not true. Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are working towards making the franchise better by retooling it and expanding it. you’re able to check out the entire statement viaVin Diesel’s Instagrampage below.
