The family drama continues to play out on Instagram, and honestly, is starting to be worthy of its own movie.
This Fast feud is getting Furious, and honestly, has us reaching for the popcorn.
Just days after Tyrese Gibson called out Dwayne Johnson on Instagram for allegedly causing Fast 9's release date to be delayed, Johnson unveiled a preview clip of his Fast & Furious spinoff movie with Jason Statham -- revealing that it will hit theaters on July 26, 2019 -- though parts of the caption seem to suggest that the 45-year-old actor may be just as interested in clapping back against Gibson, as well as co-star Vin Diesel, as he is with promoting his own film.
"Pumped to expand and build out the FAST & FURIOUS universe in a cool, exciting way," Johnson captioned the post, adding, "Thank you UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for being tremendous partners who see the big picture and for coming to us years ago with this spinoff idea."
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I’ve enjoyed droppin’ blood and sweat in over the years," he continued. "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."
"The more opportunities we can create the better for the fans. Smart business," he argued. "Let’s have some FUN and to quote, Hobbs the boss, if you don’t like it, we’re happy to beat that a** like a Cherokee drum."
And to end the post, Johnson used the hashtag "#CandyAssesNeedNotApply," a pointed callback to a remark he made last year about Diesel on Instagram, as the co-stars had on-set drama that spilled over to social media.
Hobbs has spoken!
Johnson's post seems to address Gibson's Instagram grievances over Fast 9's delay, where he accused Johnson of making the franchise about himself, adding, "#FastFamily right? Nah..... it's about #TeamDewayne #3yrs will it be worth the wait?"
Gibson ended the post by clowning on Johnson's panned Baywatch film from earlier this year, writing, "Will this be another #BayWatch? Guys guys just relax I'm just a passionate film critic."
Diesel, meanwhile, seemingly sided with Gibson, sharing a photo of him, Gibson and the late Paul Walker, captioned, "Brotherhood."
But the plot thickens!
In a conciliatory post on... Instagram (duh) on Friday, Diesel shared a pic of himself with Johnson, saying, "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."
But what's interesting is, after the gesture, Diesel used some semi-cryptic language... that really feels like a hint that Dominic Toretto may be ready for a standalone adventure of his own.
"Like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that," Diesel wrote. "We have some very exciting news to share soon... stay tuned."
Full disclosure: this suspicion enters into conspiracy theory territory, as it's highly likely that the post is just Diesel's way of saying that the delay will be good for the franchise. Plus, it's not the only time he's vaguely teased something big (see: his late-night studio session with Ludacris).
Anyway, probably not a good impulse to delight in all the Fast Family sparring, but you have to admit, there's something about rich movie stars trading schoolyard insults on Instagram that's just so baffling and fascinating!
What we're saying is, someone call Ryan Murphy. 'Cause this Instagram soap opera is starting to warrant its own FEUD miniseries.
Watch the video below to catch up on all the drama.
