At this point, who doesn’t know about the long and ongoing feud between former Fast & Furious co-stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vin Diesel? Back in November 2021, Vin Diesel shocked the world when he posted on his Instagram, requesting The Rock to return for the upcoming Fast & Furious 10.  It’s been almost two months since then, but The Rock has finally responded to Vin Diesel’s post publicly for the first time.

Speaking with CNN, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson said that he was surprised by Vin Diesel’s post, but probably not for the reasons we would expect. He revealed that he had already had private talks with both Vin Diesel and the executives at Universal (who owns the Fast & Furious franchise) in June 2021, confirming that he would NOT be returning.

He also called out Vin Diesel’s post as being manipulative, because Diesel brought up his own children and even the last Paul Walker in the post in order to entice The Rock’s return.

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Here’s what Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson said:

“I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post. 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.”

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson originally appeared in 2011’s Fast Five and his final appearance in the mainline franchise was 2017’s The Fate Of The Furious. Although in 2019, he did return for the spinoff movie, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (check out our review of that movie here).

Fast & Furious 10 is slated to release on 19 May 2023.