What a long, strange road we’ve been travelling on a quarter mile at a time since Dom and the boys were first ripping off CD players and VCRs in 2000’s The Fast and the Furious. Heck, in F9 they went into space—how are they ever gonna top that?! Well, fam, we’ll find out soon as Fast X is roaring into cinemas on May 18.
It’s been a rocky road, though, with director Louis Leterrier jumping in after franchise mainstay Justin Lin noped out due to “creative differences”. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but we’ve been told that returning villain Cipher (Charlize Theron) is teaming up with a new baddie, Dante, played by none other than man mountain Jason Momoa.
Momoa’s not the only new addition to the cast, with Brie Larson, Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) and Alan Ritchson (Reacher) also signing on. Most interesting, though, is the inclusion of living legend Rita Moreno (West Side Story) as the Toretto family matriarch. Will she get to punch on with Helen Mirren, who’s back as British crime mum Queenie? We can only hope.
Also back? Pretty much everyone. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Jordana Brewster, and Cardi B are all reprising their roles, plus we understand that Gal Gadot appears as the seemingly deceased Gisele in one of two versions of Fast X screened for test audiences in December. How do you pay for all that talent? With a whopping $340m budget—the biggest in the franchise’s history. Hope they had enough left over to blow up some cars.
The Fast and the Furious is one of the most fun action franchises going: a sprawling soap opera punctuated with races, crashes, explosions, and the odd rumination on the nature of family. We can’t wait to rejoin the Toretto clan, and it’s a safe bet we’re not alone there.
