Tyrese Gibson says that he and Ludacris turned down a spinoff film that would have featured their Fast and Furious characters Roman Pearce and Tej Parker. Both characters first appeared in the second installation of the global film franchise, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and then were not seen again until Fast Five in 2011. This fifth film added a new member in Dwayne Johnson to the established family led by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker - something that has since caused a rift in the cast.
The feuding of the Fast and Furious cast is well known, especially between Johnson and Diesel on set. Gibson also expressed his own anger at Johnson, taking to Instagram to imply that the Fast & Furious 9 release date delay is due to Johnson and his spinoff film. Johnson's character, Hobbs, became so popular (especially in his relationship with Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw) that after The Fate of the Furious it was announced that the two would be getting their own spinoff film.
Gibson then took to Instagram once more to announce that he and Ludacris had been offered their own spinoff, but turned it down. "What makes us great is when you see us all TOGETHER we don't fly solo", he wrote. He also blamed Johnson for breaking up the "#FastFamily" along with a photo of the original cast including Walker, Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Chad Lindberg, Matt Schulze, and Rick Yune.
Roman (Gibson) was introduced in the second film as an ex-con and childhood friend of Brian's (Walker) who uses his mouth to help talk the gang out of the numerous situations they find themselves in. Tej (Ludacris) is a former drag racer with serious skills behind a keyboard as well as a steering wheel. Together the two characters have become the comic relief of the Fast & Furious films whether it's fighting over Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) or bragging about who is higher on Interpol's Top 10 Most Wanted List. A spinoff film featuring the two of them would be funny and much different than the one featuring Shaw and Hobbs which is sure to bring tons of action as well as humor.
The infighting of the Fast & Furious cast has become a topic of discussion as much as the film's crazy action scenes. It's unfortunate in a franchise that is supposedly all about family that such behind the scenes distractions and ego battles exist. The films are clearly well loved, making a billion dollars at the box office with more movies to come in the future. Directors from Shane Black to Justin Lin (who directed Fast 5 and Fast & Furious 6) want a chance to direct the next films. Hopefully the cast can stay civil enough to make more movies together.
