Vin Diesel has moved from burying the hatchet with Fast and Furious co-star and one-time cinematic rival Dwayne Johnson to championing the Hobbs actor for his latest hard-hitting performance as MMA star Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
On Instagram, Vin Diesel revealed a strange quirk in his relationship with Johnson's latest role: he once became fast friends with Mark Kerr, who helped train him for action film XXX.
After racing down memory lane, Vin Diesel then moved over to celebrating Johnson, with whom he once had a rumored (and long-publicized) feud during their time together on Fast and Furious.
"Let me celebrate Dwayne," Vien Diesel began. "People don’t understand what it takes to uphold a global perception every single day. I remember asking our global family who they’d love to see me work with, and a woman named Jan left a comment saying her dream was for me to collaborate with Dwayne. What followed became one of the most dynamic pairings in cinema, two strong personalities who pushed each other and created something unforgettable. When he stepped into Hobbs, he did it with full commitment and left an indelible mark on Universal’s character hall of fame."
Johnson returned as Hobbs in the Fast 10 post-credits scene, with villain Dante (Jason Momoa) declaring he's next on his hit list for killing his father.
Johnson's Hobbs was then set to appear in a future spin-off movie to bridge the gap between Fast 10 and what would later become Fast 11 (formerly Fast 10: Part 2).
However, the brakes have seemingly been pumped on the Fast franchise for the time being. Last November, Vin Diesel hinted at clashing creative differences between various powerbrokers on the action series, but his intentions were clear: "I just want to get back to real street racing, practical stunts… and a reunion of that beautiful brotherhood."
Whatever happens next as Fast speeds towards its grand finale, it appears Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson have repaired any rift between them.
"Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us," Johnson wrote on Twitter back in 2023.
Johnson will next appear as Maui in a live-action version of Moana, with Walt Disney Animation Studios' chief creative officer Jared Bush describing the more tangible quality the real-life set washes ashore.
"There's this really impressive human versus the elements angle to that, which I think people are going to really enjoy," Bush revealed to GamesRadar+.
For more, check out our guide to new Disney movies, as well as our rundown of movie release dates.
