The first F9 trailer has arrived and it pulled back the veil of secrecy surrounding the latest entry in what has been dubbed the Fast Saga. Amongst the many reveals made in the trailer, we finally know what John Cena’s role will be. Not only did the first footage shows us that Cena will be the movie’s main villain, but we also come to learn that this is the long lost younger brother of Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto. So we’re in for something of a messy family affair this time around.
John Cena will play Jakob, who has been estranged from Dom’s life for some time. As we see in the trailer, Jakob is skilled in quite a few areas. He’s a master assassin, a thief and one heck of a driver. Why, precisely, now is the time for him to become reunited with Dom, or what brings them to blows with one another, remains to be seen. What we do know is that Jakob will be teaming up with Charlize Theron’s Cipher, who we met in The Fate of the Furious. If Jakob can’t bring himself to kill Dom, she’s more than happy to do the job herself.
While the Fast & Furious movies have largely prided themselves on being big, bombastic spectacles, they do try to layer in some character work and emotional stakes to make things work on multiple levels. Bringing Dom’s brother into the mix could help with that. Also on that front, Han is Alive. Yes, the end of the trailer shows us that Han, who we all assumed was dead, is indeed back. Han died in Tokyo Drift, or so we thought, at the hands of Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. It appears we’re finally going to get some long-deserved justice for Han as well.
Fast & Furious 9 centers on Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto, who is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian. Their son is named after the late Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Connor. Little do they know that danger is lurking just around the corner. 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 must band together to stop a nefarious plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered; Dom’s estranged brother, Jakob.
Across nine movies, the franchise has grossed nearly $6 billion at the global box office since its inception in 2001. Before the trailer launch, Universal held a giant F9: The Fast Saga Concert The cast also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang. Helen Mirren also returns, alongside newcomers Cardi B and Ozuna. Justin Lin, who directed four previous entries in the series, is returning to the director’s chair, working from a script by Dan Casey. F9 is set to hit theaters on May 22 from Universal Pictures.
