Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (L) and Tyrese Gibson, pictured attending 'Furious 7' premiere on April 1, 2015 in Hollywood, have had an ongoing feud that first emerged in September 2017. Getty Images

"Fast and Furious" star Tyrese Gibson announced Wednesday he would exit the long-standing franchise if co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson remained on board. Gibson referred to Johnson as a "selfish champ" and a "clown" in an extensive Instagram post.

Gibson's anger stems from the release of Johnson's spinoff series, which is said to have pushed back the franchise's ninth film.

"I'm sorry to announce that if Dewayne is in Fast9 there will no more Roman Peirce," Gibson wrote Wednesday on Instagram. "You mess with family and my daughter's survival I mess with yours...close your eyes dude you're a 'Clown.'"

Gibson also added fuel to the fire by pointing out that fellow "Fast & Furious" co-star Vin Diesel's arm was wrapped around his shoulder, and singled out Johnson for standing alone.

The franchise's ninth installment was originally slated to hit theaters Apr. 19, 2019. The film was later pushed back to Apr. 10, 2020. Gibson has placed blame on Johnson for the feature's delay.

"Congratulations to @TheRock and your brother in law aka 7 bucks producing partner @hhgarcia41 for making the fast and the furious franchise about YOU," Gibson wrote on Instagram Oct. 4.

Universal Pictures confirmed earlier in October that a "Fast and Furious" spinoff was in the works with Johnson's character, Luke Hobbs. Johnson is set to star alongside Jason Statham. The film will be released ahead of the franchise's ninth installment on Jul. 26, 2019.

"Fast & Furious is one of Universal’s most beloved properties, and we handle every decision we make surrounding this franchise with great care," Donna Langley, Universal Pictures chairman, told The Hollywood Reporter in October. "We look forward to continuing to build on the film that started it all, as well as expanding into different narratives beginning with our first spinoff."

Diesel weighed in on the apparent drama on Instagram.

 

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

"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," Diesel wrote on Instagram Oct. 6. "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," Diesel added. "My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that."

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