Dwayne Johnson has publicly responded to his former Fast and the Furious franchise co-star, Vin Diesel’s plea on Instagram to return to the series for its final two sequels. Johnson recently told CNN that he has no intention of reprising his role of Luke Hobbs in the 10th and 11th installments of the franchise. He added that he won’t be swayed by Diesel’s emotional plea.

Johnson, who last starred with Diesel in the series in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, also revealed that he was surprised and disapointed by his former co-star’s social media post. In his Instagram plea, Diesel wrote in part, “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house… but the time has come. Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10!”

Months before Diesel posted his social media plea to Johnson, they privately discussed the latter actor’s decision not to return to the main series with the series’ studio, Universal Pictures. “This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly – and privately – that I would not be returning to the franchise,” Johnson revealed.

“I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem,” added Johnson, who last played his character in the franchise’s 2019 spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, during his interview with CNN.

During his interview with CNN, Johnson expressed that he was disappointed with Diesel’s public post because he felt it was manipulation. Johnson noted that he didn’t think his former co-star should have mentioned his children and the death of their fellow co-star, Paul Walker.

“Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation,” Johnson noted. “I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it.

“We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast & Furious franchise with gratitude and grace. It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters,” the Black Adam actor continued.

“Regardless, I’m confident in the Fast universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience. I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter,” Johnson added.

The final two Fast & Furious entries will be directed by returning franchise filmmaker, Justin Lin, who previously helmed the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth installments. Chris Morgan, who wrote the main series’ third through eighth entries, as well as Hobbs and Shaw, is set to scribe the penultimate movie.

The official cast hasn’t been announced yet for the last two sequels. However, it’s highly likely that Diesel and several other of the franchise’s stars, including Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang, will reprise their respective roles.