Jean-Claude Van Damme has revealed Vin Diesel didn’t want him in the Fast & Furious franchise.
During an interview with The Telegraph, the Belgium action star, known for doing the splits in really uncomfortable places, noted that he missed out on being part of one of the biggest action franchises ever, saying, “They want me in Fast and Furious. But Vin Diesel said, ‘No, I don’t want him.’” Van Damme doesn’t specify which film he was asked to join in, but one can assume it was after the first three films, when the movies started veering from the somewhat ground street racing they started with into the totally absurd, physics-ignoring blockbusters they are now.
Related: The Fast & Furious Franchise Only Makes Sense as a Clash of Movie Star Egos
It’s not surprising to hear that Diesel would say no and be listened to about Van Damme. The actor has a massive amount of control over the franchise, and we already know that when he doesn’t want someone in it they won’t be in it. Diesel and Dwayne Johnson had a massive falling out, and the latter left the franchise for a time despite the popularity of his character. Of course, never say never. Johnson is now returning as Hobbs in a standalone Fast & Furious film so maybe there is still a chance for Van Damme to show up as well.
That’s not the only action franchise that Van Damme could show up in. The actor also revealed that he could return to the Expendables films if another gets made. Despite his character dying off in the second movie, Sylvester Stallone has told the actor that he could return as a twin brother — a nod to his classic movie Double Impact. That, of course, depends on a fifth film happening, which is unlikely given how poorly the fourth one performed at the box office.
