Hobbs is retired. Weeks after Vin Diesel publicly pleaded for “my little brother” to return for the tenth Fast & Furious movie, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shot down any hopes for a reunion. “I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post,” Dwayne, 49, said in an interview with CNN. “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.”
However, The Rock’s cordialness ended as he discussed how Vin, 54, went about to get him back to the franchise. “Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation,” said the Jungle Cruise star. “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.”
Vin made his public plea in a Nov. 7 Instagram post. While sharing a picture of his and The Rock’s characters – Dominic Toretto and Luke Hobbs – facing off, Vin wrote, “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo [Paul Walker]. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10!” From there, Vin said that The Rock “must show up” and that he has a “very important role to play” in what presumably will be the final Fast & Furious film.
Johnson joined the franchise in 2011’s Fast Five and appeared in the subsequent three films. He exited the series with the 2019 spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, which was a contentious issue between him and Fast co-star Tyrese Gibson. However, long before the spin-off, the cracks in this “family” began to show in 2016. After filming The Fate Of The Furious, The Rock posted a message on Instagram calling out his “male co-stars,” saying that “some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t.”