Back in November, Vin Diesel took to social media to plead to Dwayne Johnson to return to the Fast & Furious franchise for the upcoming Fast 10. Now, thanks to an interview from CNN, Johnson’s response to Diesel has been made clear.

The Fast & Furious franchise began in 2001 with The Fast And The Furious staring Diesel and the late Paul Walker. Since then, the series has had nine sequels, a spin-off film, an animated TV spin-off, and a number of video games, toys, and theme park attractions.

Johnson joined the franchise as Hobbs in Fast Five and then returned to the franchise for the sixth, seventh, and eighth films in the series and then starred in the spin-off Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw with Jason Statham and is expected to appear in the spinoff’s sequel which was announced last year. However, Johnson publicly left the main series of films after a rumored feud between himself and Diesel.

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Image via Universal

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Diesel seemed to attempt to end the feud and bring Johnson back for the main franchise's tenth film with a social media post, saying:

"My little brother Dwayne... the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes... but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10! 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. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."

Until now, Johnson had not publicly commented on Diesel’s plea until now. As Johnson explained to CNN:

“I told [Diesel] directly that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return...”

Johnson then went on to say that Diesel’s post did not sit well with him:

“Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. 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.”

However, Johnson seems to hold no ill will to the cast and crew of the franchise and wishes them well, ending his statement by saying:

“My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible franchise with gratitude and grace. It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I’m confident in the ‘Fast’ universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience… I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter.”

Fast and Furious 10 is currently set to race into theaters on May 19, 2023, after being delayed one month from its initial April release date.