By PTI
LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson has once and for all ruled out the possibility of him returning to the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
Despite a recent attempt at reconciliation from lead star Vin Diesel, Johnson said he remains firm on decision to not appear in any future “Fast & Furious” movie.
“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,” Johnson told CNN.
The 49-year-old actor played the role of Luke Hobbs in the long-running film series, beginning with 2011’s “Fast Five”.
He later reprised the role for “Fast & Furious 6” (2013), “Furious 7” (2015) and “The Fate of the Furious” (2017) as well as the 2019 spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw”.
Johnson had a major fall out with Diesel during the making of “The Fate of the Furious” that resulted in the actor dropping out of the latest instalment, “Fast and Furious 9”, which released earlier this year.
In November, Diesel had extended an olive branch to Johnson by writing an open letter and asking the actor to return to the franchise for the upcoming 10th instalment.
Johnson called Diesel’s post 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,” the “Red Notice” star said.
He asserted that he ended his “Fast & Furious” journey with “gratitude and grace” and sent his best wishes to the rest of the team for the upcoming movie.
“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,” Johnson said.
The next movie in the series will hit the theatres on April 7, 2023.
Diesel will play the lead role of Dominic Toretto, while regular series cast members Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are also expected to return.
Filmmaker Justin Lin will be directing the film.
