'Fast and Furious' Spin-off Gets 2019 Release Date, Ignites Drama Among Co-Stars

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, October 08, 2017

A "Fast and Furious" spin-off starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham is in the works.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has greenlighted the spin-off for a July 2019 opening. The revelation came after "Fast 9" was moved to a 2020 date. 

Chris Morgan, who has worked on the franchise since "Tokyo Drift," is helming the script. No director has been named, and both Johnson and Statham have yet to sign deals. While some fans may be happy to hear of the spin-off, others are not too ecstatic about the project.

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One such person is none other than Tyrese Gibson, who has starred in the "Fast and Furious" franchise since the second film. Gibson took to Instagram to call out Johnson for accepting the spin-off deal, which "really broke up" the "Fast and Furious" family. The rapper also took digs at Johnson's movie, "Baywatch," and accused the former wrestler of being selfish.

The tension apparently flared up due to Johnson agreeing to a spin-off and Universal pushing back "Fast 9" to focus on the new project. However, "Fast 9" was reportedly postponed to a later date in order to line up production with director scheduling. So far, no director is attached to the sequel, though it is believed that Justin Lin is being eyed to helm the film.

This is not the first time Johnson has been involved in something like this. He was previously rumored to be in a feud with another "Fast and Furious" star, Vin Diesel, just last year. Johnson also took to social media to call out some of his male co-stars, though he did not drop any names. Reports that the two stars were not getting along continued to swirl, with both parties being accused of delaying production and showing up late for filming. However, earlier this year, it seemed as if the two actors had already made up.

The "Fast and Furious" spin-off is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2019. "Fast 9" was moved to April 10, 2020.