Dwayne Johnson has officially rejected Vin Diesel’s invitation to return to the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, claiming that the actor was really “manipulative” after his public invitation on social media.
Johnson revealed he will not be returning for the last installment after Diesel stated he “must show up,” as “Hobbs can’t be played by no other,” in reference to his role in the franchise.
Now Dwayne is explaining that he talked to the actor over the summer, “I told him directly, and privately, that I would not be returning to the franchise.” And while Dwayne thought they had come to a “clear understanding,” Diesel went on to write a lengthy post on Instagram about why he needed to make a comeback.
“I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post. 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,” he explained.
Dwayne continued, “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.”
The actor also said he had been “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,” adding that he even spoke privately “with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem.”