Vin Diesel said Fast & Furious 9 will dive into his character Dom Toretto's origin story. The upcoming ninth entry in the blockbuster racing franchise will see Toretto and his family of international criminals reunite to take on Dom's estranged younger brother Jakob (John Cena), a highly-skilled assassin working with Fast & Furious 8 villain Cypher (Charlize Theron). Originally scheduled for release in April 2019, Fast & Furious 9 was delayed over a year due to the pandemic, with its current U.S. release slated for June 25. The franchise has become famous for upping the action, a move that's clearly paid off with Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious handily clearing the $1 billion box-office mark.
That immense financial success has only raised the bar for F9, which promises to be the most rearview-mirror gazing entry yet as Jakob enters the frame to reveal skeletons from Dom's past. Diesel already confirmed that his son Vincent Sinclair will appear as a younger version of Dom in the upcoming film, indicating there may be some flashbacks detailing exactly how Dom and Jakob's relationship fell apart. The actor now appears to be doubling down on the nostalgia factor and says true longtime fans of the franchise will be particularly rewarded this time around.
In an extended interview with EW, Diesel said Fast & Furious 9 will deeply explore Dom Toretto's origin story, confirming it will feature several moments that occurred before and tie into The Fast and the Furious, the original 2001 film that launched the franchise. He noted how F9 will answer many questions about Dom's past, including exactly how he became the infamous street criminal he is today. Check out Diesel's comments on Dom's origin story below, where he even makes a surprising Dungeons & Dragons comparison:
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. 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…that’s cool stuff. I’m a [Dungeons & Dragons] head, so that’s like origins stuff. To see family members you never thought you would have seen – it’s gonna kind of blow your mind. 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.
Speaking more on the original film, Diesel also said F9 will specifically call back to the "I almost had you" scene in which Dom roasts Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) after narrowly beating him in a race. The actor explained how F9 will revisit that scene from a much different perspective, offering another tribute to the late Paul Walker while also potentially illuminating how Jakob ties into his brother's early street-racing days.
With the movies having fully evolved into thrilling action spectacles, it will be interesting to see how Fast & Furious 9 revisits the niche street-racing roots that inadvertently launched one of Hollywood's most bankable franchises. The fact that Diesel still feels so affectionately toward the franchise's humble beginnings indicates that the new film could end up being the most sentimental entry since Paul Walker's send-off in Furious 7. Regardless of what happens in Fast & Furious 9, the bank-breaking success of the last two installments proves fans are more than ready to see what Dom's family has in store next.
Source: EW
