Tension continues to build among the cast members of "Fast & Furious" after the release date for its ninth installment was pushed back from April 19, 2019, to April 10, 2020. Aside from the new release date, no further details were provided to explain the sudden changes.
Tyrese Gibson, however, pointed his finger at his co-star Dwayne Johnson for allegedly causing the delay after he agreed to do a "Fast & Furious" spin-off with Jason Statham set for a 2019 release. In fact, the former MTV star was almost unstoppable when he attacked the wrestler-turned-actor in a series of Instagram posts.
'Fast & Furious 9' set for 2020 release
In one of his updates, Tyrese Gibson said all was well within the Fast Family until the "Baywatch" actor joined the scene and made the franchise all about himself. The former MTV personality went on and said he tried to warn his co-stars about the issue although some of them thought he hated on Dwayne Johnson. He suggested the wrestler-turned-actor should have turned down the offer to do a "Fast & Furious" solo movie spin-off just like other cast members did. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel finally broke his silence to address the ongoing tension between his co-actors.
The "XXX" star, in an Instagram post, seemingly sided with Dwayne Johnson when he said that it would be unfair to blame anyone for the changes on the release date.
"The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success," he captioned his photo with the wrestle-turned-actor. "However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe eight times, the franchise is in need of maintenance."
Spin-off to be released on July 26, 2019
Before that, Vin Diesel shared his photo with late Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson and wrote, "Brotherhood," in the caption.
Dwayne Johnson, on the other hand, uploaded a teaser for his upcoming "Fast & Furious" film with Jason Statham in the wake of his ongoing feud with Tyrese Gibson.
"Pumped up to expand and build out the "Fast & Furious" universe in a cool, exciting way with [Seven Bucks Productions], writer/producer Chris Morgan, producer Hiram Garcia and lead producer and my bigger twin, Neil Moritz," he captioned the video.
He then thanked Universal Studios for informing them of their plan to create a spin-off several years ago. The "San Andreas" actor also expressed his gratitude to Jason Statham for his trust and determination to produce something new for the "Fast & Furious" fans.
Dwayne Johnson added that his utmost respect for the franchise has inspired him to remain dedicated to the series and has fueled his desire to create greater opportunities to other actors.