Makers of Fast and Furious made an announcement of upcoming films and their release dates and in a broader perspective, it caused quite a stir in the media and their fandom! There were a lot of speculations made on why such decision was taken. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel came forward, took it to Instagram and defended Dwayne Johnson , making it clear why the ninth film was pushed back as the franchise is in "need of maintenance.”

He wrote, “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!”

While explaining the ‘need of maintenance’ part, Vin Diesel wrote, “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 eight times, the franchise is in need of maintenance!” It all started when Tyrese Gibson had accused Johnson of "flying solo" in creating the spin-off movie from the action movie franchise when he believes the stars should stick together.

On that conclusive note, the 'Fast and Furious' spin-off movie starring Johnson and Jason Statham is slated for a 2019 release, whereas F9 movie will now hit the screens on April 10, 2020.