10 Oct – There's been nothing but drama since the "Fast and Furious" franchise decided to branch out with a spinoff focused on two of its main cast, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, recently posted a long message on his Instagram regarding the matter, starting with off with one his character Luke Hobbs' more memorable lines: "Daddy's gotta go back to work". Thanking a bunch of people in his post, including Universal Studios for coming forth with the spinoff idea years ago and co-star Jason Statham "for the trust and wanting to create and deliver something fresh and bad ass for the fans", he went on to clarify his hope for the franchise. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I've enjoyed droppin' blood and sweat in over the years and my vision is to create greater opportunities for not only my fellow FF cast mates, but for other amazing actors as well who want to be a part of something new and cool. "I want to use my spinoff platform to create new characters that fans will ultimately love to have fun with in multiple chapters and platforms. Film, TV, Digital, Virtual Reality etc.. the more opportunities we can create the better for the fans." This was in line with what he posted on his Twitter account a few days prior: "My goal from day 1 was to come in and create an exciting/fun character for the fans, elevate the franchise and build it out. #HobbsShaw2019".
Statham has yet to join the fray but understandably, Johnson is more vocal about the spinoff than the English actor since the wrestler-turned-actor has been receiving a lot of heat from their co-stars, specifically Tyrese Gibson who ignited the feud last month. The rumoured spinoff focused on Hobbs and Statham's Deckard Shaw was finally confirmed three days ago, a day after it was announced that the ninth "Fast and Furious" instalment was to be pushed back a year. Vin Diesel, who has starred in the franchise since the first movie in 2001, finally spoke up on social media a couple of days later to let fans know where he stands in the controversy. Accompanying a photo of him and The Rock, he reminded everyone of how a fan's request led to the action star getting cast for 2011's "Fast & Furious 5".
"I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the "Fast 9" release date was pushed... but it would be unfair to say it is anyone's fault," he posted, along with the hashtag #FamilyAlways. This was a more cordial post compared to another he made previously, which seemed to lay the blame on the "Baywatch" star. Greenlighting the spinoff now could be the studio's plan to put a buffer between the two male leads, however, considering how both had been in a feud during the making of "Fast and Furious 8". The feud might soon blow over, or maybe not, since The Rock ended his Instagram post with the hashtag #CandyAssesNeedNotApply – Diesel and Gibson might have a few more words to say once they see that.