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Despite revolving around car culture and street races, the Fast & Furious franchise is also known for its heartwarming depiction of familial love and belonging. But regardless of the message that the films send out, there has been considerable behind-the-camera drama within the Fast family over the years.
The Fast & Furious franchise's tenth main installment, Fast X, comes out in theaters on May 19, 2023. The film follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) as he tries to protect his family from a newly formed enemy pair. The film's trailer shows that Cipher (Charlize Theron) and Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) have teamed up to take their revenge on Dom and his crew.
While most of the main cast will be reprising their roles for the new movie, one notable exclusion is the character of Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson. Johnson's rumored feud with Vin Diesel is said to be one reason behind the actor leaving the Fast & Furious franchise.
Here, we take a look at the rumored feud between the two actors, as well as other behind-the-scenes dramas that have taken place among the Fast & Furious team.
Dwayne Johnson vs Vin Diesel and 3 other feuds among the Fast & Furious family
1) The rumored feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel
Rumors of a feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel were reported during the filming of the eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, The Fate of the Furious (2017).
The feud is said to have started when Johnson posted a since-deleted cryptic message on social media calling out some of his male co-stars for being unprofessional on set. Although he did not pinpoint anyone specifically, Johnson was assumed to be referring to Diesel, who was also a producer on the film.
Reports suggested that there were tensions between the two actors during filming, with Johnson allegedly feeling that Diesel was difficult to work with. There were also reports of heated arguments between the two on set, which reportedly caused some tension among other cast and crew members.
However, both Johnson and Diesel have downplayed the feud in interviews, and have since stated that they are on good terms with each other. The two even met up afterwards, with Johnson clarifying in an interview later that any differences they had were resolved.
Despite this, Johnson did not appear in subsequent Fast & Furious films, including F9 (2021). Johnson also declined Diesel's Instagram invitation to return to the franchise for Fast X.
2) The Rock vs Tyrese Gibson
Another feud that took place within the Fast & Furious cast was between Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson, who played Roman Pearce. The feud between the two started in 2017, around the time of the release of The Fate of the Furious.
It all began when Gibson criticized Johnson on social media for delaying the release of the ninth installment of the franchise, F9 (2021), which was originally set to release in 2019. Gibson accused Johnson of prioritizing his spin-off film, Hobbs & Shaw, over the main Fast & Furious franchise.
This particular feud was one-sided since Johnson never addressed Gibson's comments directly. During a July 2018 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Johnson said:
"That whole thing with Tyrese, it was pretty disappointing because I’ve been friends with Tyrese for a very long time. And, you know, I always feel like a beef requires two people to actually jump in it, and it was really one-sided, and he had voiced his opinion a lot on social media."
The feud, however, continued, with Gibson later attacking Johnson in a since-deleted Instagram post after the release of Hobbs & Shaw (2019), writing:
"I have to show my respects for one thing…he tried. Folks called me a hater… And attacked me for speaking out… Breaking up the family clearly doesn’t have the value that one would assume it does."
Hobbs & Shaw had the lowest domestic opening week for the Fast & Furious franchise since its third installment, Tokyo Drift.
In later interviews, Gibson revealed that he had spoken to Johnson privately and that they had resolved their issues.
3) Director Justin Lin vs Vin Diesel
Although there were no reports of a feud between frequent Fast & Furious director Justin Lin and Vin Diesel, Lin's exit from Fast X as a director came as shocking news. Lin has previously helmed Fast & Furious projects like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast and Furious 6, and F9.
One week into the filming of Fast X, Lin announced his exit as a director. Reports have stated that the decision was made due to creative differences between the director and Diesel, with sources claiming that the two clashed on set because of Diesel's behavior.
Louis Leterrier was later hired as Lin's replacement. Since Lin co-wrote the film with screenwriter Dan Mazeau, he has retained writing and producing rights for the film. Lin released a statement explaining his decision, saying that:
"With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of FAST X, while remaining with the project as a producer. Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family."
4) When Michelle Rodriguez threatened to quit
Michelle Rodriguez, who plays the character of Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious franchise, threatened to quit over how the franchise treats its female characters.
In 2017, after the release of The Fate of the Furious, she took to Instagram to express her grievances, saying that she might leave the franchise if the female characters were not given more importance and better representation in the films.
Rodriguez expressed her frustration about the lack of strong female characters in the franchise and criticized the producers for not being able to evolve with the times. The post received a lot of attention, and some of Rodriguez's co-stars, including Vin Diesel, showed their support for her.
Since then, the Fast & Furious franchise has made efforts to address Rodriguez's concerns, with female characters being given more prominent roles in subsequent films.
Fast X releases in theaters on May 19, 2023.
