Dwayne Johnson Shades Tyrese Gibson While Teasing 'Fast' Solo Movie Spinoff: '#CandyAssesNeedNotApply'

Alex Ungerman?

Updated October 10, 2017 at 6:22 AM

Grown men are still fighting about movie franchises!

This Fast feud is getting Furious, and honestly, has us reaching for the popcorn.

Just days after Tyrese Gibson called out Dwayne Johnson on Instagram for allegedly causing Fast 9's release date to be delayed, Johnson unveiled a preview clip of his Fast & Furious spinoff movie with Jason Statham -- revealing that it will hit theaters on July 26, 2019 -- though parts of the caption seem to suggest that the 45-year-old actor may be just as interested in clapping back against Gibson, as well as co-star Vin Diesel, as he is with promoting his own film.

"Pumped to expand and build out the FAST & FURIOUS universe in a cool, exciting way," Johnson captioned the post, adding, "Thank you UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for being tremendous partners who see the big picture and for coming to us years ago with this spinoff idea."

MORE: Vin Diesel Speaks Out On Dwayne Johnson & Tyrese Gibson’s ‘Fast 9’ Feud

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I’ve enjoyed droppin’ blood and sweat in over the years," he continued. "And my vision is to create greater opportunities for not only my fellow FF cast mates, but for other amazing actors as well who want to be a part of something new and cool."

"The more opportunities we can create the better for the fans. Smart business," he argued. "Let’s have some FUN and to quote, Hobbs the boss, if you don’t like it, we’re happy to beat that a** like a Cherokee drum."

MORE: Dwayne Johnson Defends 'Fast and Furious' Spinoff Amid Drama With Co-Stars

And to end the post, Johnson used the hashtag "#CandyAssesNeedNotApply," a pointed callback to a remark he made last year about Diesel on Instagram, as the co-stars had on-set drama that spilled over to social media.

Daddy’s gotta go back to work ~ Hobbs. Pumped to expand and build out the FAST & FURIOUS universe in a cool, exciting way with our @sevenbucksprod, writer/producer Chris Morgan, producer Hiram Garcia and lead producer and my bigger twin, Neil Moritz. Thank you UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for being tremendous partners who see the big picture and for coming to us years ago with this spinoff idea. Huge shout to my brother, Jason Statham for the trust and wanting to create and deliver something fresh and bad ass for the fans. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise that I’ve enjoyed droppin’ blood and sweat in over the years and my vision is to create greater opportunities for not only my fellow FF cast mates, but for other amazing actors as well who want to be a part of something new and cool. I want to use my spinoff platform to create new characters that fans will ultimately love to have fun with in multiple chapters and platforms. Film, TV, Digital, Virtual Reality etc.. the more opportunities we can create the better for the fans. Smart business. Let’s have some FUN and to quote, Hobbs the boss, if you don’t like it, we’re happy to beat that ass like a Cherokee drum. #HOBBS #SevenBucksProds #NewOpportunities #CandyAssesNeedNotApply JULY 2019
A post shared by therock (@therock) on Oct 9, 2017 at 9:41am PDT

Hobbs has spoken!

Johnson's post seems to address Gibson's Instagram grievances over Fast 9's delay, where he accused Johnson of making the franchise about himself, adding, "#FastFamily right? Nah..... it's about #TeamDewayne #3yrs will it be worth the wait?"

Gibson ended the post by clowning on Johnson's panned Baywatch film from earlier this year, writing, "Will this be another #BayWatch? Guys guys just relax I'm just a passionate film critic."

#PSA Congratulations to @TheRock and your brother in law aka 7 bucks producing partner @hhgarcia41 for making the fast and the furious franchise about YOU - And like you, DJ even if they call I will not be deleting this post - Gn folks see you in 2020 April #FastFamily right? Nah..... it's about #TeamDewayne #3yrs will it be worth the wait? #NoShaw just Hobbs will this be another #BayWatch? Guys guys just relax I'm just a passionate film critic
A post shared by TYRESE (@tyrese) on Oct 4, 2017 at 8:29pm PDT

MORE: Tyrese Gibson Blames Dwayne Johnson for 'Fast and Furious 9' Delay

Diesel, meanwhile, seemingly sided with Gibson, sharing a photo of him, Gibson and the late Paul Walker, captioned, "Brotherhood."

Brotherhood...
A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Oct 5, 2017 at 6:57pm PDT

But the plot thickens!

In a conciliatory post on... Instagram (duh) on Friday, Diesel shared a pic of himself with Johnson, saying, "I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed... but it would be unfair to say it is anyone's fault."

MORE: 'Fast 9': Tyrese Gibson Calls Out Dwayne Johnson Over Rumored Solo Spinoff

But what's interesting is, after the gesture, Diesel used some semi-cryptic language... that really feels like a hint that Dominic Toretto may be ready for a standalone adventure of his own.

"Like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that," Diesel wrote. "We have some very exciting news to share soon... stay tuned."

Brotherhood... and all it's complexities. This scene was filmed in Puerto Rico, I can remember it like it was yesterday. Such a beautiful island, the people were so warm and welcoming. I turned 43 that summer... and my son Vincent was born. A woman named Jan Kelly responded to a question I had asked on Facebook, 'who they would like to see me work with?' She said would love to see me work with Dwayne... I listened to her request and he became Hobbs. I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed... but it would be unfair to say it is anyone's fault. As we plot the course to expand the Fast & Furious universe, one must be mindful to take stock of the roads we took to get here. The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success. However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon... stay tuned. Yours truly, Dom #FamilyAlways
A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Oct 6, 2017 at 8:15pm PDT

Full disclosure: this suspicion enters into conspiracy theory territory, as it's highly likely that the post is just Diesel's way of saying that the delay will be good for the franchise. Plus, it's not the only time he's vaguely teased something big (see: his late-night studio session with Ludacris).

Anyway, probably not a good impulse to delight in all the Fast Family sparring, but you have to admit, there's something about rich movie stars trading schoolyard insults on Instagram that's just so baffling and fascinating!

What we're saying is, someone call Ryan Murphy. 'Cause this Instagram soap opera is starting to warrant its own FEUD miniseries.

MORE: Vin Diesel Announces 'Fast & Furious' Live Tour

Watch the video below to catch up on all the drama.