With Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson confirming in January that he won't make an appearance in the upcoming ninth instalment of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, Vin Diesel, who plays the lead character Dominic Toretto and also produced some of the films, has managed to find another actor just as big, quite literally.
Diesel, who's also become a bit of a paternal figure for the franchise, took to Instagram on Friday to reveal John Cena as the newest member of the “Fast” family. Like Johnson, Cena has managed to make the transition from the world of WWE to Hollywood, albeit on a smaller scale for now.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Diesel talked about keeping the franchise exciting and mentioned the inspiration he still receives from the late Paul Walker, who he referred to as Pablo.
"Guys, as you know, I'm always thinking fast, and thinking about the responsibility of making something iconic and deserving of your loyalty," Diesel said in the short lip. "I know this sounds crazy, but every blue moon I feel like Pablo up there sends me someone. Another soldier in the fight for truth. Today, someone came by Toretto Gym that speaks to what Pablo would have brought."
Just as he finished that last sentence, Diesel turns the camera to reveal Cena standing in the background. No word yet on whether Cena's character will be one of the good guys or not (or whether he'll be driving a Ford GT).
John Cena with the 2017 Ford GT
The new movie, simply titled “Fast & Furious 9” for now, will be released in 2020 and also star returning actors Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster. Doing the directing is Justin Lin, who is credited with directing the third, fourth, fifth and sixth films in the franchise.
While Johnson won't appear in the new “Fast” installment, he will appear alongside another of the franchise's stars, Jason Statham, in the spin-off film “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” It hits theaters August 2.
