When a movie loses one WrestleMania headliner, the only thing to do is pick up another. With Dwayne Johnson busy on his Hobbs & Shaw spinoff, Fast & Furious 9 has officially added his WrestleMania 28 and 29 opponent, John Cena.
This news has sorta been expected for a while, ever since Vin Diesel teased Cena’s involvement back in April. But now Deadline says Universal has confirmed it, with Cena said to be playing a “badass”, which describes literally everyone in the Fast & Furious universe. I just hope he’s not another long-lost member of the Shaw family.
For real, though, this is the kind of dream casting these movies have been perfect at. Think about the fan-favorite actors that have passed through it already: Dwayne Johnson, Charlize Theron, Gina Carano, Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, Djimon Hounsou…the list goes on and on. Cena obviously has the physical tools for the action he’s likely to take part in, but he’s also proven to be a funny dude with a self-deprecating wit. His turns in both Blockers and Bumblebee last year show his growth as an actor, and I have a feeling when these movies conclude he may be one to earn his own spinoff, too.
Speaking of which, this is the 9th of what is expected to be a total of 10 movies in the core franchise. It’s also the first to be directed by Justin Lin since Fast Six, and the first not to be written by Chris Morgan. Instead, the story comes from Lin and Kin writer Daniel Casey.
Furious 9 opens May 22nd 2020.
