The Rock suggests he still has ill will toward 'Fast and Furious' co-star Vin Diesel - and says he's not sure he'll return for the 9th movie
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson told Rolling Stone he isn't sure if he'll be in "Fast and Furious 9," scheduled for release in 2020.
- Johnson said he's focused on making next year's spin-off - "Hobbs and Shaw" - as it good as it can be.
- He also referenced his feud with franchise co-star Vin Diesel, implying that he still has "ill will" toward Diesel.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he isn't sure if he's returning for "Fast and Furious 9," and it might have something to do with franchise co-star Vin Diesel.
There seems to still be some hard feelings between the two, at least on Johnson's side, after they infamously feuded on the set of the eighth "Fast and Furious" movie last year.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson opened up about the feud and his future involvement in the franchise. He implied he may not return for the ninth installment (which is scheduled for a 2020 release) and suggested he still has "ill will" toward Diesel.
"Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer," Johnson told Rolling Stone. "And what I came to realize is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating. It took me some time, but I'm grateful for that clarity. Whether we work together again or not."
That made it sound like all was well, but when asked whether he'd return for "Fast and Furious 9," he was less than optimistic, saying he was "not quite sure." Johnson even threw a bit of shade at Diesel by joking that Rolling Stone could remove a quote of his about having no "ill will" toward Diesel.
Here's how Johnson put it:
"I wish [Vin Diesel] all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have ... Actually, you can erase that last part about 'no ill will.' We'll just keep it with the clarity."
In 2016, Johnson posted a message to Facebook during his last week filming on set that called out his "Fate of the Furious" male co-star - later discovered to be Diesel - for being too "chicken sh--" to act professionally.
In October, after it was announced that the ninth movie would be delayed until 2020, Tyrese Gibson - who also stars in the "Fast and Furious" franchise - took to Instagram to blame Johnson. Gibson said Johnson was acting selfishly.
There's definitely drama surrounding the franchise, so it makes sense that Johnson would be hesitant to return. But the franchise has also soared to new heights at the box office since Johnson joined, so the studio would no doubt be loath to lose him.