The feud between "Fast and Furious" stars Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson, which has been playing out across social media for months, just escalated to the point of no return. In an Instagram post, Gibson threatened to leave Universal Pictures' blockbuster franchise if The Rock returns for its ninth installment.
"Hello world... hello loyal fans and loved ones from OUR fast universe," he wrote on Wednesday. "I'm sorry to announce that if Dewayne is in Fast9 there will no more Roman Peirce [sic]. You mess with family and my daughters survival I mess with yours... close your eyes dude you're a 'Clown.'"
The 38-year-old actor, who debuted as Roman Pierce in "2 Fast 2 Furious," previously lashed out at his co-star for holding up the production of "Fast 9" in favor of a spin-off that focused on Johnson's Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw. He accused the former wrestler of making the franchise about him and breaking the "Fast" family.
Prior to his recent social media threat, Gibson denied feuding with Johnson. He explained that he just got mad that his co-star said yes to a privately pitched idea "without thinking of what I'm dealing with personally."
Per Newsweek, Gibson is in a heated custody battle with his ex-wife, Norma Mitchell Gibson, who accused him of abusing their 10-year-old daughter. Even though he has an estimated net worth of $10 million, the actor claimed he was financially struggling. Apparently, the "Fast and Furious" cheques are his only stable source of income at the moment, which explains his frustration towards the production delay.
Gibson is not the only one who has a strained relationship with Hollywood's highest paid actor. Vin Diesel and The Rock once had a drama of their own as well during production on "The Fate of the Furious." Things have since reportedly cooled between the two, and they will both return in the next installment of the franchise.
"Fast and Furious 9" was initially scheduled for an April 19, 2019, release. However, Universal pushed its release date back to April 10, 2020, for an undisclosed reason. The untitled Luke Hobbs/Deckard Shaw spinoff, on the other hand, is slated to hit theaters on July 26, 2019.
