Dwayne Johnson responds to Vin Diesel's 'Fast & Furious' plea
Dwayne Johnson says he won't be returning to the "Fast & Furious" franchise, despite Vin Diesel's recent social media plea.
Johnson told CNN Thursday he spoke to Diesel privately in June about there being "no chance" he'd return, so he was surprised when Diesel shared an Instagram post in November begging him to come back.
"Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation," Johnson, who played Luke Hobbs in the series, said. "I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding."
Johnson added that his goal was "to end my amazing journey with this incredible 'Fast & Furious' franchise with gratitude and grace," and said, "it's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters."
Still, Johnson said, he wishes his former co-stars and crew members "the best of luck and success in the next chapter."
Diesel and Johnson have had a complicated relationship in the past. In Diesel's Instagram post on Nov. 7, he wrote, "My little brother Dwayne ... the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10," adding, "I say this out of love ... but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play."
