The huge and ever-growing Fast & Furious family just got a helluva lot bigger. It also looks like the Fast and Furious family also doubles as a foster family for former WWE megastars. A few months ago, Vin Diesel teased the very strong possibility of John Cena joining the franchise he [Diesel] has helped cultivate since 2001. Now, Universal has officially confirmed that the former 16-time WWE/World Heavyweight Champion has joined the cast of Fast & Furious 9, which is set to be released in theatres in May 2020.
However, for fans hoping to see a thrice in a lifetime showdown between The Great One and the big fat bowl of fruity pebbles, get ready to be disappointed. According to Deadline, Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock, will not be in Fast & Furious 9. Deadline went on to mention that Cena will be playing a ‘badass’. It’s still unclear as of now if Cena will be the newest member of Dominic Toretto’s crew or if he’ll be in a police officer role similar to The Rock’s.
John Cena took to Twitter to share the good news with his fans:
“For nearly 20 years, the Fast Franchise has entertained fans and created some of the biggest cinematic moments in history. It’s an incredible honor to join this franchise and this family.”
For nearly 20 years, the Fast Franchise has entertained fans and created some of the biggest cinematic moments in history. It’s an incredible honor to join this franchise and this family. https://t.co/7GFzDsX8sl
— John Cena (@JohnCena) June 7, 2019
The franchise will also see the return of director Justin Lin, who helmed the worst of the Fast and Furious movies, Tokyo Drift but later went on to revitalise the ‘family’ franchise by helming the extremely fun, Fast & Furious (4), Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6. The seventh film, directed by James Wan underwent script changes and production issues due to the unfortunate passing of Paul Walker and the eighth helmed by F. Gary Gray completely went off the rails — yes, that’s saying something! Daniel Casey, who penned the action film, Kin that received disastrous reviews will be writing the screenplay for Fast & Furious 9, so you know it’s in good hands.
The first Fast & Furious spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw will be released in theatres later this August. The film takes place two years after Fate of the Furious and stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Hobbs & Shaw is helmed by David Leitch the man behind John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2, so we can at least expect the action sequences to be awesome.
