Ludacris Welcomes John Cena to Fast & Furious 9
Last month, fans of both WWE and the Fast & Furious franchise got some major news when it was [...]
Last month, fans of both WWE and the Fast & Furious franchise got some major news when it was announced that John Cena had joined the cast of the long-running action franchise's upcoming Fast & Furious 9 and then, just a couple of weeks ago, Cena himself shared on Twitter that he had officially begun filming on the project. Now, co-star Ludacris is welcoming the wrestling star to the Fast & Furious family.
In a post shared on his Instagram on Thursday, Ludacris welcomed Cena, who he called his "new brother" and noted just how the addition would up the action film's game.
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"Welcome my NEW brother John Cena to the Fast & Furious Franchise. Now shits about to get Real," Ludacris wrote.
Announced in early June, Cena's addition to the cast of Fast & Furious 9 marks a major addition to the popular action franchise, with Cena replacing the losses of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, who are splitting off into their own spinoff series with Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw heading into theaters next month. Cena's addition to the franchise cast had been rumored for some time, and once it was official, Cena himself tweeted how honored he was to join the family.
"For nearly 20 years, the Fast Franchise has entertained fans and created some of the biggest cinematic moments in history," Cena wrote. "It's an incredible honor to join this franchise and this family."
Not a lot is known about the upcoming Fast & Furious 9, but what is known is pretty exciting. The film sees the return of Justin Lin to the director's chair, after helming Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6. The film will also see the return of Oscar-winners Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren. Series star Vin Diesel shared that information earlier this week in a video to his own Instagram account. Both Mirren and Theron made their marks on the franchise in 2017's Fate of the Furious in which Theron played the film's villain, Cipher, a cyberterrorist who controlled Dominic Toretto and forced him to work against his family while Mirren took the role of Magdalene Shaw, the mother of Deckard Shaw (Statham) and Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).
We also know that Johnson won't be returning, at least not for Fast & Furious 9. The actor himself confirmed that while appearing at Sundance earlier this year.
"The plan has always been for the Fast and Furious universe to grow and expand," Johnson explained. "As of now, we're not in Fast 9 because they're getting ready to start shooting. But who knows with Fast 10 and down the road, you never know. Because look, at the end of the day, the truth is, there's unfinished business between Hobbs and Dom. It's unfinished."
What do you think about Ludacris' welcome to Cena on Fast & Furious 9? Let us know in the comments below.
Fast & Furious 9 is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2020.