The Fast & Furious franchise is back with its ninth installment as it reintroduces some old characters and brings in some new ones as well. The film, titled F9: The Fast Saga, was delayed for about a year due to pandemic-related issues.
F9 revolves around the return of Jakob Toretto, Dom and Mia’s estranged brother. Jakob is out to get even with Dom for banishing him years ago for being connected to the racing accident that killed their father.
Aside from this, fans were particularly excited for the return of Han, who was presumed to have died when Deckard Shaw plotted his car accident in Tokyo. F9 revealed that Han’s death had been faked and the post-credits scene saw him knocking on Deckard’s door where they finally come face-to-face.
Filmmaker Justin Lin returned to the Fast & Furious series for F9, and is also set to direct the franchise’s final two films, Fast & Furious 10 and 11. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lin explained how he felt about Han’s return,
“A lot of people assume when Han comes back in 9, that’s Justice for Han. I never felt like that’s the case, the issue with Justice for Han is not, “Hey, he’s gone, we want him back.” It was that something was not right and we need to figure out how to correct that.
The most critical element of this is the treatment of this character. So, Justice for Han, really, is how we treat Han as he comes back and as we move forward. There is definitely a lot to explore and to unpack and that is just a moment I wanted to share with the audience—that there’s a lot more to come.”
Justin Lin
Lin also talked about the two-part finale of the franchise. He explained that F9 was mainly about introducing new characters and bringing back old characters and setting up the whole story for the final two films. F10 and F11 will be shot back-to-back and have one storyline divided into two parts.
“We’ve been talking about it for almost ten years now. And I’ve always thought that it was just an exercise. I never thought we were going to do it for real. So, the fact that when I came back, Vin pulled me aside and said, “We’re doing it. We’re going to end this thing,”—I feel great. It’s not like, “We have to react and do something.” This is something we’ve been talking about throughout. We have to take care to make sure that’s fully supported.”
Justin Lin
F9: The Fast Saga has had a massive run, grossing $70 million from 4,179 North American theaters, marking the largest opening at the U.S. box office since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
As Vin Diesel celebrated the film’s success, he told Variety,
“I think what feels best is just the idea that people are returning to the theatrical experience. It feels good to say, ‘Cinema is back!’”
Vin Diesel
F9: The Fast Saga is out in cinemas everywhere.
| Cast | Character |
| Vin Diesel | Dominic Toretto |
| Michelle Rodriguez | Letty |
| Jordana Brewster | Mia |
| Tyrese Gibson | Roman |
| Ludacris | Tej |
| Nathalie Emmanuel | Ramsey |
| Charlize Theron | Cipher |
| John Cena | Jakob |
| Finn Cole | Young Jakob |
| Sung Kang | Han |
| Anna Sawai | Elle |
| Helen Mirren | Queenie |
| Kurt Russell | Mr. Nobody |
| Lucas Black | Sean |
| Shad Moss | Twinkie |
| Vinnie Bennett | Young Dom |
About Fast and Furious 9
Fast and Furious 9 (or F9) is an American action film directed by Justin Lin. The film is a sequel to 2017’s The Fast and Furious and the ninth instalment in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The film will star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and John Cena, among others. The film was delayed for over a year due to the pandemic in March 2020. It is scheduled to release in the United States on June 25, 2021.
Dominic 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, the threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver ever seen: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob.
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