Vin Diesel Says 'Fast & Furious 9' Will Shed Light on Franchise’s First Film

In a new interview with 'EW,' Vin Diesel reveals that there's a connection between 'Fast 9' and the original 2001 film, which gives the storyline more context.

April 30, 2021

The Fast and the Furious franchise is gearing up to release its ninth installation—and prior to its arrival, Vin Diesel has revealed a surprise connection between the forthcoming film and the one that started it all.

“The whole world has this excitement about this movie coming out, but for those who have been with the franchise, it’s even more special,” Diesel tells Entertainment Weekly around the 39:40 mark of the video above. “Because if you can remember the first movie, you are now going to go before the first movie and understand the first movie even more.”

Diesel went on to explain that the film will delve into his character’s origin story. “So to see family members you never thought you would have seen, it’s gonna kind of blow your mind,” he added. “We’ve been wanting to know, where was Dom before he became Dom? Who were his influences? That’s going to be really rich with story, and a lot of fun to see.”

F9 promises to take the franchise to bold new heights, with rockets harnessed to cars headed to outer space, the arrival of Dom’s brother (John Cena), a cameo from Ozuna, and the introduction of Leysa, played by Cardi B.

And while F9 feels like a climax, two more films will be released before the saga ends. “Just wait for 10,” Diesel said. “Let’s just say, the fact that you guys know that the studio is saying we can’t cover all this ground that needs to be covered in just one movie, you can only imagine what is to come.”

Elsewhere, Diesel talked about a piece of advice his late costar Paul Walker gave him before the first movie came out. Diesel described how he and Walker were at an airport, “bags to the side, legs stretched out, thousands of people walking by, walking over us,” which is when Walker dropped some wisdom.

“Now he had already had some films out, so he was a little more familiar with what was to come, and he said, ‘Vin, take all of this in. Take in the fact that all these people are just walking by us.’ I said, ‘Why,’ and he said, ‘Because when this movie comes out, our anonymity will be gone.’ It was so telling, and it was so surreal, how he knew.”

F9 is slated for a June 25 release. In addition to Diesel, it also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.