Despite having a public dispute during The Fate of the Furious, both Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson will reportedly be back for Fast & Furious 9. The action franchise found new life in Fast Five once Johnson brought his star power and charisma and saw his role as Hobbs rise in Fast & Furious 6. He was largely sidelined during Furious 7, but with Dominic Toretto turning against his beloved family in The Fate of the Furious, the two characters were at odds in the film, and also in real life.
Johnson made the argument public in the final days of filming on the eighth movie. The result of the feud was the franchise’s two biggest stars barely sharing any scenes in the latest installment, but it sounds like that will change for Fast & Furious 9.
TMZ is reporting that sources close to production have told them both Diesel and Johnson will return for Fast & Furious 9, and have reportedly met several times to reconcile their differences. While both actors have been unwilling to divulge what caused their falling out, the report suggests it was over their competing roles and desire to be the face of the franchise — something Johnson reportedly conceded to Diesel.
It’s not terribly surprising that both actors will be back for another installment in the long-running franchise. With one exception, Diesel has appeared in every film, while Johnson continues his impressive box office winning streak, making him one of the most desirable names to be attached to any franchise. Even if the two had not patched things up, there were already discussions for Hobbs to get his own spinoff movie. But now that the differences between the two actors have reportedly been set aside, Fast & Furious 9 should be able to get both stars and their characters back on screen together.
For a franchise that continues to be incredibly successful, it should be a welcome sign that its two biggest action stars will be back together for the ninth film. Hopefully, the two can share scenes with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. If that does not happen, the combination of Diesel and The Rock should be enough to generate new and equally innovative stunts. With the team now firmly back together as the franchise moves forward, what threat requires this makeshift family to save the day once again should be a fun reveal.
