Start your engines movie-lovers, it’s finally time to ride again. F9 The Fast Saga is now in theatres after a lengthy pandemic delay and with the shocking return of a familiar face, new cast members and even more outrageous stunts, it was definitely worth the wait.
Find out everything you need to know about F9 The Fast Saga below!
1. John Cena joins the cast and Cipher returns
When we last saw Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, he prevented cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) from starting a nuclear war and was reunited with his child thanks to enemy turned friend Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).
Dom is now living a quiet life with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his son, whom he named Brian (yes, we’re still crying). But it could all be about to change when a new threat emerges at the hands of Cipher and Dom’s estranged brother Jakob (John Cena).
Nothing is more important to Dom than family, but we don’t think that still applies if said family member is a skilled assassin who puts everyone Dom loves in jeopardy.
“You always say never turn your back on family, but you turned your back on me,” Jakob says to Dom in the trailer. “Now your little family is in my world.”
2. Justice for Han
Ever since Han’s tragic death in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, fans have been mourning the loss of the beloved character.
Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang) was a street racer who presumably died during a high-speed car chase in Tokyo. It was later revealed in 2013’s Fast & Furious 6 the car that hit him was driven by Deckard Shaw.
Thanks to director Justin Lin’s shifting timelines, fans were able to see more of Han in the fourth, fifth and sixth movies in the franchise that took place chronologically after the second film and before the third (Tokyo Drift).
But fans couldn’t accept his untimely death and started a massive social media movement to get #JusticeforHan.
With Han’s return, justice has indeed been served but it’s brought with it so many questions. Has Han been hiding out in Tokyo this whole time? Has he been secretly working with Deckard? We’re looking forward to finding out what really happened and whether it might be enough for fans to forgive Deckard.
Jason Statham, who also did 2019 spin-off movie Hobbs & Shaw with Dwayne Johnson, is game for a future return and some redemption.
“They better bring me back, because I need to put out that fire,” Statham told EW.
3. Justin Lin returns as director
After stepping away from the past two movies, Justin Lin is back to direct F9 The Fast Saga. Lin first directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which introduced Han to the world, making the character’s return now make much more sense.Lin also directed the fourth, fifth and sixth movie and helped revolutionize the franchise into a global blockbuster.
4. Mia is back but what about Brian?
After being absent from Fate of the Furious, Mia (Jordana Brewster) returns to make it a real family affair and help Dom battle their brother Jakob. But what about Brian?
Actor Paul Walker tragically died in a car accident before the end of filming Furious 7, but filmmakers chose to have his character live on. The movie ended with an emotional send-off (using Walker’s brother as a stand-in) as Brian and Mia left to lead a quiet life with their children.
Fans have speculated Brian may make an appearance in F9 The Fast Saga, which was further fuelled by a visit Cody Walker made to the set.
5. Cardi B joins the cast
Grammy-Award winning artist Cardi B joins the cast as Leysa, a woman with a connection to Dom’s past. She will also appear in the 10th installment according to Vin Diesel."We are very much excited to evolve her character and to expand it to the finale," Diesel told Entertainment Tonight. "She made it just in time. She came in (F9 The Fast Saga) just in time."
The 28-year-old rapper is just as excited.
I can’t wait to watch Fast and furious 9 .I haven’t seen my scenes yet! That’s the best part about it thooo watching the movie then you see yourself coming in.I’m sooo proud of myself. GOD IS GOOD ! Can I get a ALL THE TIME ? !!!!
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 15, 2021
6. Magnetic action
One of the most highly anticipated stunts from F9 The Fast Saga (other than a car swinging off a cliff via a rope bridge) is where Dom and the crew take out cars with high-powered magnets.Magnets will also be used for an epic plane stunt that was actually the idea of Lin’s nine-year-old son, the director told Empire Magazine.
7. Vin Diesel’s real-life son Vincent appears in the film
Vin Diesel’s 10-year-old son Vincent Sinclair makes his film debut to play a younger version of his dad’s character Dom. But as Vin Diesel revealed, it was all Justin Lin’s idea.
“We've been making these movies for so long, that every time one of my children were born, I was usually working on a Fast and Furious movie," the actor told Jimmy Fallon in a recent interview on The Tonight Show. "So the director and the cast all have their own relationship with my children. And it was (Lin's) idea for my son to play young Dom."
The film really is a family affair.
8. The film is already breaking box office records
F9 The Fast Saga doesn’t officially hit theatres until June 25th in North America but it’s already breaking pandemic-era box office records around the world.The film grossed $163M in its opening week in eight international box office markets according to Deadline, with $136M of that from China.
The popularity of the two-decade long franchise, which has brought in more than $5 billion worldwide, doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon.
9. F9 The Fast Saga is the first film in final trilogy
But even with the soaring popularity of the franchise, all good things must come to an end eventually.F9 The Fast Saga kicks off the first film in the final trilogy with Justin Lin set to direct the final two according to Deadline. The director hasn’t ruled out bringing back Hobbs and Shaw or seeing any of the characters live on beyond the franchise.
“I think that just by the fan reactions, we now have all of these really great, compelling characters that people love, and I’m hoping that we’re going to have opportunities to really showcase these characters, hopefully in future films and in other mediums,” he told Deadline.
So, what could be in store for the final two films? With the trailer showing Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) blasting a car into space, rumours are flying the next film could be set there. We can't wait to see the actual out of this world stunts.
See F9 The Fast Saga in Cineplex Theatres.