In a since-deleted post on Instagram Fast and Furious franchise star Vin Diesel revealed he’s been locked in a war with its creators behind the scenes. The news comes after confirmed reports revealed the latest movie F9 would be delayed due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, which has been shutting down movie theaters and productions for months.
Those who have been following the franchise closely will recognize 2020 was set to mark the release of F9, which comes a few years after 2017’s eighth installment The Fate of the Furious. The film found lead protagonist Dominic Toretto (Diesel) back once again with most of the franchise’s main cast in a tale that dealt with family, fast cars and fights. And although Fate of the Furious was met with mixed criticism, it still went on to rake in over one billion dollars at the worldwide box office, which is why the majority of the cast is returning for another lap around the track.
However, according to CinemaBlend, that may be easier said than done. Over the weekend Diesel, who serves as one of the producers of the Fast & Furious franchise, wrote a very candid Instagram post attached to a fan-made F9 poster. Within its text he gave details about an apparent war taking place between Universal Studios and the Producers Guild of America. And much like his onscreen counterpart Toretto, Diesel had no problem expressing how he felt with some very colorful language. The caption, per CinemaBlend, read as follows:
Happy creative Sunday everyone… sorry I haven’t posted much lately, I have been trying to mitigate a war between Universal Studios and the P.G.A. Prejudice Guild of America.
Soon after, Diesel replaced the original message with a more positive quote, but at that point his comments had already made people wonder exactly what was going on. Fans are already waiting with anticipation for the newest release in the series, which was originally set to debut on May 22. But much like other anticipated films whose premieres have been delayed like Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Widow, the latest installment in the Fast & Furious storyline won’t be hitting screens until April 2, 2021.
Perhaps in a tense moment between Diesel, who serves as a producer along with F9 director Justin Lin, and Universal Studios, he simply needed to let off a bit of steam. Since the original release has been pushed back an entire year, it could be possible that emotions are running high as both sides attempt to get the movie out as quickly as possible. Luckily Diesel decided to walk back his comments and give the people with a more positive message. Hopefully he will continue showcasing more fan art to keep his followers excited for F9‘s 2021 release.
Source: Screenrant, by BEN ROBINSON III