Vin Diesel recently shared why John Cena was the perfect person to play his brother in the upcoming ninth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Speaking on the weight that comes with casting a new member of the Toretto family, Diesel told EW, "The casting of that character could go a million different ways. And at the same time a very, very, very difficult character to cast."
Diesel, who portrays protagonist Dom Toretto in the franchise, said "you got to go with your gut" when casting the role of Dom's long-lost brother Jakob. "You got to go with your heart, and when I met John, he checked all the boxes," the actor continued. "He had an energy that provoked a kind of curiosity about all of the Toretto's. He just felt right. And he did a terrific job."
The official synopsis for F9 reads,
No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past.
Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, next year’s The Suicide Squad).
F9 sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series when it transformed into a global blockbuster. The action hurtles around the globe—from London to Tokyo, from Central America to Edinburgh, and from a secret bunker in Azerbaijan to the teeming streets of Tblisi. Along the way, old friends will be resurrected, old foes will return, history will be rewritten, and the true meaning of family will be tested like never before.
F9 actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges also hinted in July 2020 that the film might see members of La Familia going to outer space. When it was suggested during a prior interview that the only place left for the Fast & Furious franchise to go was space, Ludacris responded, "I will say that you are very intuitive, because you said something right, but I'm not going to give it away."
Directed by Justin Lim, F9 stars Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang, with Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Cardi B. The film arrives in theaters on May 28.
Source: EW