Movies

Everything we know so far about Fast & Furious 9

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Published on February 4, 2020 11:50AM EST

Did Hobbs & Shaw reignite your Fast & Furious love? Do you live your life a Fast & Furious movie at a time? Well, you’re in luck, because Fast & Furious 9 is on the way, and we have all the crucial information on our favorite car-flying, Corona-drinking, world-saving family.

Where did we leave off?

2017’s The Fate of the Furious marked the most recent installment of the main franchise and the first to take place after Paul Walker was written out in Furious 7 after his 2013 death during a break from filming. With Brian (Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) off in retirement, the family is dealt an unexpected blow when Dom (Vin Diesel) betrays them. It’s revealed that he’s working for a cyberterrorist named Cipher (Charlize Theron), who has kidnapped Elena (Elsa Pataky) and her son, which Dom soon learns is his. After Cipher kills Elena, Shaw (Jason Statham) saves the baby, allowing Dom to reunite with the team and stop a nuclear submarine (yes, you read that right). Fate ends with a nice rooftop family barbecue in New York City, where Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) reports that Cipher was last seen in Athens and Shaw delivers baby Brian (!!!) to Dom and Letty.

When and where?

Originally set for release in April 2019, Fast 9 was pushed to May 22, 2020 to make way for spin-off Hobbs & Shaw (franchise star Tyrese had some thoughts on the decision). Known for its trips around the world, the film has primarily been filming in England so far.

Who is directing?

After sitting out Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious, Justin Lin, who directed four consecutive Fast films, is back behind the camera, while Daniel Casey takes over screenwriting duties from Fast veteran/Hobbs & Shaw writer Chris Morgan.

Who is in it?

Fast alums Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron all return, while Finn Cole (Animal Kingdom), Ozuna, Cardi B (Okurrr!), and John Cena are among the newcomers.

Cena recently told EW of his casting: “I give everybody who is attached to the franchise and who enjoys the franchise the promise that you will get my absolute best.” He better have brought it, because the trailer revealed that Cena is playing Dom’s brother Jakob. “Something that really excited me when the idea came to me, that we could really start this new chapter exploring family through the traditional bloodlines,” shared Lin with EW. “But then the next emotional beat for me was that I was kind of scared s—less of like, “Well, who is going to be a Toretto?!” And I was so relieved when I sat down with John, and within a minute of talking to him you could feel the strength and discipline, but also the fact that he could be vulnerable. He was just a pleasure to work with, and I really do think he’s going to bring a lot as the antagonist to Dom.

Oh, and don’t let us forget that Sung Kang also returns! Yes, it’s finally “justice for Han” time. After seemingly being killed off all the way back in 2006’s The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift (a nonlinear timeline allowed him to hang around until 2013’s Fast & Furious 6, when he seemed to be gone for good), Han reappeared in the closing moments of the Fast 9 trailer. Unsurprisingly, Lin is keeping the lid on how Han is alive. “In this world, I feel like things happen for a reason,” he told EW. “I won’t go into details or anything, but I do think that bringing him back is nothing I take lightly — and it took a lot — but I think what I appreciate is that this universe has really grown and it allows us to evolve and really kind of redefine ourselves as we go.”

Who isn’t in it?

Busy filming and promoting Hobbs & Shaw, Dwayne Johnson has said that he and Statham won’t be in Fast 9. Surely it has nothing to do with that Diesel and Johnson beef… But, in a recent twist, Diesel and Johnson seemed to bury the hatchet, and, more importantly, Johnson teased that he could soon possibly return to the main series: “Of course, all roads lead to one thing. I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto.”

What’s next?

The franchise isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Fast 10 is already in the works; Hobbs & Shaw looks destined for sequels; an animated series is currently on Netflix; and Diesel previously revealed that a female spin-off is being planned. And for all those Ludacris and Tyrese fans, Morgan tells EW that they have a “fun idea” for a Tej and Roman spin-off.

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