This article originally appeared on EW.
Another high-profile beef has revved up in the Fast & Furious family, and this time it doesn’t involve Vin Diesel.
The latest installment of drama in the franchise revolves around Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, and the impact that a rumored spinoff focusing on Johnson’s Fast character, Luke Hobbs, would have on Fast 9, which currently has a release date of April 19, 2019. Indications of an issue between the costars emerged in a since-deleted comment by Gibson on one of Johnson’s recent Instagram posts.
“If you move forward with that #Hobbs Movie you will have purposely ignored the heart to heart moment we had in my sprinter,” Gibson wrote. “I don’t wanna hear from you until you remember what we talked about. I’m on your timeline cause you’re not responding to my text messages – #FastFamily is just that a family…….. We don’t fly solo.”
His campaign to reach Johnson didn’t end there. Gibson, who has starred in five of the eight Fast films as the smooth-talking Roman Pearce, was back at it Tuesday with another since-deleted Instagram plea.
“I have never and will never have a problem with this major movie star he’s my brother,” wrote Gibson, who didn’t help his case by admitting he didn’t like Baywatch. “I’m simply trying to reach him cause he won’t call me back about this solo #HobbsMovie I want you to shoot it just not right now cause the #Fast9 release date has already been announced and we can’t let our loyal fans #FastFamily or our loyal fast and furious FANS down on any level from pushing the date…….. Didn’t you see how HUGE #Fast8 was? It’s because we announced and KEPT our release date bro.”
He added, “I never ever go public with private family issues,” perhaps referencing Johnson previously going public with his own issues. “We do this on behalf of the families, the cast, the crew member who have been down and loyal to us for 15 years…… Everyone matters…. When we shoot we all eat, we we show up as a FAMILY display our love, our funny stuff, our story lines and HEARTS in every frame…… Me and the cast laugh because it seems like #Fast is like a HOLIDAY at this point….. You [can’t] push the release date of a holiday bro.”
Gibson concluded, “This is not a #Rant I’m no Rock #Hater and I don’t want this #Life I love my own… I’m doing this for the #FastFamily I’m loyal and I apologize for being loyal but dammit I am.”
Now, in the second post, the Transformers alum did say, “Once you hit me back I will delete every post,” which might mean that he has finally received a response from Johnson. But yet to be deleted from Gibson’s Instagram feed is a picture of him and Johnson with the caption, “I don’t do email bruh. You got my cell same San Diego # hit me.”
Reps for Gibson and Johnson did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
On the way to becoming a billion-dollar franchise, Fast & Furious has had to weather it’s fair share of drama. The most high-profile case came to a head last year when Johnson referred to some of his unnamed male costars as “candy asses.” All indications are this was a shot at Diesel, who has attempted to downplay any feud. But the fact that the duo are never spotted in the same frame during Fate of the Furious hasn’t help dispel the rumors.
And more recently, female lead Michelle Rodriguez threatened to leave if they didn’t “show love to the women” in the next film. She has, however, acknowledged that Diesel will most likely “convince” her to return.
