Nine films. That’s the number of films in the “Fast & Furious” series. That’s the same number of films in the Skywalker Saga. It’s one more than the entire ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise. And it’s eight more than Kathryn Bigelow’s only “Point Break” film, which was ripped off famously to kickstart this ‘Fast’ franchise. Yet, you can argue that unlike “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” and, obviously, “Point Break,” the Fast Saga is as strong as ever before, as we get closer to the release of “F9” (yes, the official title).
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And as seen in the minute-long tease for the upcoming trailer (dropping Super Bowl weekend), we see that Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto has come a long way since his days as a thief/racecar driver. With a kid, Dom has different priorities, such as working on the engine of a tractor, not a souped-up Japanese car. But the end of the teaser hints at something very dark that could happen to Dom and his family, signaling a personal story in this ninth film in the franchise.
Joining Diesel in the cast for “F9” are Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ludacris, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron. That’s quite the cast. However, you may notice two big names missing from that roster—Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham. Instead of joining “F9,” the duo of Johnson and Statham actually teamed up for last year’s “Hobbs & Shaw,” and thus, won’t be featured in the new ‘Fast’ film.
It’ll be interesting to see if the absence of those guys has any effect on “F9.” Clearly, the addition of The Rock to the franchise was a shot in the arm that elevated the entire ‘Fast’ universe to become the box office behemoth that it is today.
“F9” is expected to arrive in theaters on May 22.