ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — After Tyrese Gibson recently called out his Fast and Furious co-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for pursing his own FF spinoff — claiming Johnson’s film would delay the production of Fast and Furious 9 — The Rock is finally addressing the drama.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Rock says his spinoff intentions were pure and a part of the evolution of the Fast and Furious franchise.
“It’s been a challenging process because I feel like my intention from day one, when I first joined the cast, was to hopefully come in, have fun, and create a character that people will hopefully like and try to elevate the franchise,” Johnson told EW. “But in the process of elevating the franchise, I have always thought that in order for this to have real longevity and legs, we should spin out and create characters that can live on their own.”
Without saying Tyrese’s name, The Rock adds that he’s focused on creating a great movie — not participating in the surrounding drama.
“At the end of the day, the only thing I want to do is make a great movie for the fans,” he said. “I never ever get wrapped up in the sludge of the bulls*** that can be connected at times to a franchise. So, I never get dragged into it. I never respond to any of that.”
Johnson’s spin-off is set to hit theaters July 26, 2019, while Fast 9 is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2020.
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