Vin Diesel pleads with Dwayne Johnson to return for ‘Fast & Furious 10’
By Toyin Owoseje, CNN
Vin Diesel is calling on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to end their highly publicized feud and re-join “Fast & Furious” for the franchise finale.
The 54-year-old actor, who plays Dominic Toretto in the movies, extended an olive branch on Sunday by sharing an open letter on Instagram directed at his former co-star.
“My little brother Dwayne… the time has come,” he wrote alongside a picture of the pair facing each other. “The world awaits the finale of Fast 10.”
Diesel went on to say his children still refer to Johnson as “Uncle Dwayne,” despite their well-documented rift. “There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes,” he added.
Johnson, 49, made his debut as federal agent Luke Hobbs in 2011’s “Fast Five” and reprised his role for the sixth, seventh and eighth installments of the franchise before landing his own spin-off, “Hobbs & Shaw.”
The pair’s feud erupted in 2016, during the final weeks of filming 2017’s “The Fate Of The Furious.” At the time, Johnson posted a photo on his verified Instagram account — which he has since removed — in which he slammed unnamed male co-stars.
“Some (male co-stars) conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” Johnson wrote at the time.
Diesel told Men’s Health in June this year that as a producer for the “Fast & Furious” franchise, “tough love” was at the root of his conflict with Johnson.
“It was a tough character to embody, the Hobbs character,” he said. “My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be.”
However, Johnson pushed back in his recent cover story with Vanity Fair, saying he and Diesel were “philosophically two different people” who “approach the business of moviemaking in two very different ways.”
While Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in July that he would not be returning for any more “Fast & Furious” movies, it looks like Diesel is ready to let bygones be bygones in order to fulfill his promise to the late Paul Walker (whom he refers to as “Pablo”) to give the franchise a fitting end. Walker starred as Brian O’Conner in the franchise until his death in 2013.
“I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10,” he continued, in his message to Johnson. “I say this out of love… but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”
CNN has contacted Johnson’s representatives for comment.
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CNN’s Lisa Respers France contributed to this report.
