Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson feud rages on; they're being deliberately kept apart

It all began with a furious social media post by Dwayne Johnson. In it, he ranted about an anonymous Fast and Furious 8 cast member with whom he was very, very angry. Universal Pictures’ reply came fast.

Quashing the rumours of a beef between literal heavyweights Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vin Diesel, they said that the two had buried the hatchet after the disagreement, which Johnson had claimed had got his “blood boiling.”

Eight months later, it appears that the fight continues. Last week, during the annual Las Vegas CinemaCon, an event in which movie studios showcase their upcoming fare to theatre owners in lavish presentations, Johnson and Diesel, the Fast franchise’s biggest faces, were noticeably separated.

When the time came to present The Fate of the Furious, the eighth film in the franchise, which Universal secretly premiered at the event (to positive responses), stars Diesel, Charlize Theron, Tyrese Gibson, Kurt Russell and Ludacris were present on stage. The notable absentee? Dwayne Johnson.

To further fuel speculation, Johnson had appeared at the event only a day prior, while promoting his upcoming film Baywatch, with stars Zac Efron and Priyanka Chopra, and Jumanji (with Jack Black).

Now, a new report by The Hollywood Reporter says that the two are deliberately being kept apart during the promotional tour of the upcoming Fate of the Furious.

“They’re keeping them separated as much as possible,” says an insider.

Universal downplayed any simmering tensions and said the two actors simply have been on different continents throughout the tour. But sources say that the CinemaCon scheduling could have been easily accommodated, the THR report went on to say.

The beef began in August 2016, when Johnson, in a heated Facebook and Instagram post said, “My female co-stars are always amazing and I love ‘em. My male co-stars however are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t. The ones that don’t are too chicken shit to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.”

Johnson’s rant came because Diesel, allegedly, arrived late on set. The two exchanged heated words.

At the time, a studio source said, “What happened is over, and no one expects there to be any lingering effects. When it comes time to promote the movie, this will have no bearing.”

Both Johnson and Diesel are contractually obligated to be present at the film’s New York City premiere on April 8. The Fate of the Furious opens worldwide April 14.