The 'Fast & Furious' is a multi-billion dollar franchise that centered on a series of action films that are mostly about street racing and heists.
But most importantly, the series try to convey the message that family is important, and one must do anything for his/her family.
The character Dominic Toretto who is starred by Vin Diesel, has always been a man who puts family first. In all of the films in the franchise, the car mechanic and patriarch is always a man who stressed the importance of family above anything else.
In fact, in many of the films, the conflicts originate from the characters trying to help their family members, and even seeing some of the franchise's antagonists becoming protagonists in later films after realizing the meaning of family that the character Toretto is stressing.
And here, Diesel was seen trying to take his character's commitment by publicly asking another star of the series, Dwayne Johnson, to return in Fast 10.
Following a long-running feud between the two muscle-wielding Hollywood A-list actors, Diesel shared an Instagram post, where he wishes Johnson to "rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”
Diesel’s emotional post also called Johnson his "little brother" and mentioned a promise to "Pablo," a name he referred to the late Paul Walker who played Brian O'Conner in the series and passed away in 2013.
"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,” Diesel said, in bid to make amends, as he pleaded to Johnson for his return.
In the post, Diesel also shared an image of the two together in a Fast & Furious movie.
The dramatic post came after a long-running history of bad blood between the two men.
When Johnson made his Fast & Furious debut in 2011 in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs, the franchise quickly demanded more sequels and also a spinoff. The two stars were getting along just well, until 2016, when Johnson published a then-deleted Instagram post where he referred to unnamed members of the cast as "candy asses."
It was reported that it all began when Johnson refused to participate in a scene where he was supposed to be lying down at Diesel’s feet. Johnson demanded that he is at least be sitting.
"Some [male costars] conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t," Johnson wrote at the time. "The ones that don’t are too chicken shit to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you’re right."
The post started rumors, suggesting that Johnson was referring to Diesel, who has long been credited to be the architect and the main star of the franchise since its launch in 2001.
While Johnson has since expressed his regrets for ever sharing that post, what's done is done.
Since then, the two have partaken in back-and-forth mudslinging that has lasted for years.
Among the results, Johnson didn’t appear in 2021’s F9: The Fast Saga.
Co-star Michelle Rodriguez tried explaining that the the men were indeed friends.
"They’re ‘bros’, man," she said at the time. "They’re friends, and ultimately even friends reach a point where they have to set aside their differences to make a movie for multicultural people around the world, and that is the bigger scheme of things."
But things didn't turn out well, when co-star Tyrese Gibson seemingly blamed Johnson for the film’s production delays, writing his complaints on Instagram.
Diesel stood up for Johnson and defended him,.
Diesel said that the film’s delays weren’t his fault alone and that that franchise was "in need of maintenance."
It was later assumed the feud was ongoing when the duo were never shown together in Fate of the Furious. Then in September 2019, Johnson seemed to make a peace when he specifically thanked Diesel for his support of Hobbs & Shaw.
"Lastly, but not least, want to thank brother Vin for your support of Hobbs & Shaw," he said on Instagram. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto.”
Johnson may not be at the utmost center at the Fast & Furious franchise, but he had a more successful year than most people.
In 2021 alone, he finished wrapping up a number of films. What's more, his tequila business is doing extremely well, and the former wrestling champion is also among the most followed American man on Instagram.
And the post by Vin Diesel that seemed to be showing Diesel kindly asking Johnson to return, surprised him.
In an interview, 'The Rock' Johnson said that he was "very surprised” by Diesel’s social media post in November asking him to come back to the franchise.
He said that he and Diesel had a conversation over the summer where he’d confirmed he wouldn’t be returning to the franchise, and thought they had come to a “clear understanding.”
"I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post," Johnson said. "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."
While Johnson seems to appreciate Diesel's post, he didn't buy it.
"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. 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."
But still, he wished his former co-star the best, saying that he is "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."
Having two A-list alpha male celebrity in a blockbuster franchise worth billions is not an easy task. Neither for the production team, or the stars themselves. And this feud between Johnson and Diesel is one perfect example.
