The franchise that’s been living its life a quarter mile at a time is winding down. While the Fast & Furious world will continue on through spinoffs, including Hobbs & Shaw 2 and Charlize Theron’s Cipher being primed to lead her own movie, the main saga starring Dominic Toretto and his crew is wrapping up with two final movies. The first of these was once simply known as Fast & Furious 10, but is now officially titled Fast X. That movie is currently dated for May 19, 2023, and following Justin Lin’s departure a week after filming began, Louis Leterrier is now sitting in the director’s chair.
Once again, Fast X will involve its starring protagonists using cars and other assorted vehicles to stop a major threat, if not save the world. Some story details have been shared, but much of what this movie has in store is being kept a closely-guarded secret. What we can talk about with this upcoming movie is who’s making up its main cast, from the familiar faces, like Vin Diesel, to the newcomers, like Jason Momoa. So let’s go over who we’ll be seeing during the events of Fast X.
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto has appeared in all the Fast & Furious movies except for 2 Fast 2 Furious, and shared co-lead duties with Paul Walker’s Brian O’Connor for a long time. Sadly, Walker passed away in 2013, resulting in Furious 7 being Brian’s final appearance and Dom officially becoming this saga’s main protagonist. F9 saw him and Jordana Brewster’s Mia Toretto crossing paths with their estranged brother, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto. While Jakob was initially causing trouble with Cipher, by the end of the movie, he was back on good terms with his siblings. Count on Diesel’s Dom once again leading his crew in a mission packed with street-racing and explosions, as well as looking out for his son, Brian Marcos.
Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez has also been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since the beginning, although it wasn’t until Fast & Furious 6 that she started taking a more central role in these movies. Along with Letty Ortiz still being by her husband’s Dominic Toretto’s side on their capers, the two are also enjoying the parenting life looking after little Brian, the child Dom had with the late Elena Reves. Since Rodriguez is the main Fast & Furious’ film series chief female actress, don’t expect her to move to the sidelines as we wind this saga down.
Tyrese Gibson
Since Dominic Toretto sat out the events of 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian O’Connor instead partnered up with Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce, a childhood friend who started out that movie holding a grudge against Brian, but by the end they patched things up. Roman became an official member of the Fast family in Fast Five, not only being a skilled driver in his own right, but also serving as the team’s resident “fast-talker” and “joker.” He’s also frequently paired with Tej Parker, who’s next on this list.
Ludacris
Ludacris’ Tej Parker also debuted in 2 Fast 2 Furious, hosting the street races Brian O’Connor drove in and later helping out him and Roman Peace in their mission. When Fast Five rolled around, Tej morphed into the team’s technician expert. You can also count on Tej to give Roman Pearce the most grief out of all the team members, but those two nonetheless share a close bond, one that was especially strengthened when they traveled to outer space in F9.
Nathalie Emmanuel
When it comes to saving the world, it doesn’t hurt to have another tech person on your side. As such, Furious 7 saw Dominic Toretto’s crew welcoming Ramsey, played by Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel. Ramsey created the God’s Eye program and was taken prisoner by Mose Jakande, but after our intrepid protagonists rescue her, not only did she help them shut down God’s Eye, she became a permanent member of their family. Ramsey also continues to the subject of romantic attention from both Roman and Tej, but thus far neither have gotten any closer to wooing her. Fingers crossed when we reunite with Ramsey in Fast X that she finally has a driver’s license.
Sung Kang
When the first F9 trailer premiered, it initially seemed like John Cena playing Dominic and Mia Toretto’s brother was its biggest surprise, but not so. At the end of the preview, it was revealed that Sung Kang’s Han Lue was still alive. It turned out that Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody faked Han’s death during the events of Tokyo Drift/Furious 7 so he could go undercover to protect Anna Sawai’s Elle, whose DNA could activate Project Aries. Han and Elle were forced to come out of hiding after learning that Jakob Toretto was on their tail, but following the neutralization of the movie’s threat, Han is now back in the family and brought Elle with him. The F9 end-credits scene also showed Han paying a visit to Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, who was shocked to see the man he thought he killed still alive. Judging by the Fast X trailer, it looks like the movie will explore the weird dynamic these two now have together.
Charlize Theron
If anyone deserves the honor of being the main Fast & Furious film series’ chief antagonist, it’s Charlize Theron’s Cipher. Although we didn’t meet her until The Fate of the Furious, it was revealed in that movie that she hired Owen Shaw and Mose Jakande for their respective missions in Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. Throw in her ordering the death of Elena Neves, and she’s cemented herself as a terrible human being. During F9, Cipher was able to persuade Otto, Jakob Toretto’s partner, to start working with her, which is ironic since she ended up unintentionally killing him. Cipher escaped to parts unknown after her remote-controlled drone was destroyed, but she’ll be back up to no good in Fast X. The trailer showed her being held in the same laboratory/facility as Letty, and it doesn’t take long for them to come to blows.
Jordana Brewster
Like Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster goes back to Fast & Furious’ beginnings too, although Mia Toretto didn’t get nearly as much to do action-wise in those earlier appearance compared to Dom (her brother) and Brian (her love interest). However, when Jakob Toretto resurfaced in F9, she joined Dom in searching for their estranged brother and showed off how formidable she is out in the field. Originally Brewster wasn’t going to return for Fast X, but you can thank Vin Diesel’s daughter for rectifying that, as she insisted that Mia needed to appear in the movie.
John Cena
We had no idea Jakob Toretto existed until F9, as it was revealed in the movie that Dom blamed his younger brother for the death of their father and forced him to leave town. When Dom and Mia crossed paths with Jakob again decades later, they discovered he was now a skilled mercenary in cahoots with Cipher, but that partnership didn’t end up working out. By the end of the movie, Dom and Mia reconciled with Jakob before he went on the run. As suspected, Cena will indeed appear in Fast X, so it’ll be nice to have him back as an ally rather than an enemy.
Jason Statham
As noted earlier, Deckard Shaw started out as a villain in the Fast & Furious franchise, having targeted Han and the rest of Dominic Toretto’s crew to exact revenge for what they did do his brother, Owen Shaw. But when The Fate of the Furious rolled around, Deckard was forced to work with Dom, Luke Hobbs and the other protagonists, and by the end of that movie, he was welcomed as an ally. From there, Deckard and Luke embarked on their own adventure through Hobbs & Shaw, and while Dwayne Johnson has made it clear he won’t return to the main Fast & Furious film series, the F9 mid-credits scene teased Jason Statham coming back. Sure enough, Deckard will be around for Fast X, and now that he knows that Han is alive, we’ll get to see these two finally team up.
Helen Mirren
Deckard Shaw won’t be the only member of the Shaw family around in Fast X, as set photos have confirmed that Helen Mirren will be back as Magdalene “Queenie” Shaw, the mother of Deckard, Owen and Hattie. Queen debuted in The Fate of the Furious, and following her stint in prison during Hobbs & Shaw, she was back to causing trouble out in the world when Dominic Toretto asked for her help in F9. Mirren was performing a scene with Vin Diesel in those Fast X photos, and the trailer showed the two having a tender moment, but it’s unclear at this point if she’ll share screen time with Jason Statham again.
Michael Rooker
During F9, we flashed back to 1989, when Dom, Mia and Jakob’s father, Jack, died in that race. Michael Rooker’s Buddy, Jack Toretto’s mechanic, was also present for that tragic event, and we later learned that after Dom exiled Jakob for his perceived role in Jack’s death, Buddy took him in. In the present-day storyline, Dom sought Buddy out for assistance in finding his brother, and Buddy pointed him to London. Rooker will reprise Buddy in Fast X, and if John Cena returns as Jakob too, since he had to go back on the run at the end of F9, perhaps he went to the old family friend for a place to lay low.
Cardi B
During Dominic Toretto and Jakob Toretto’s confrontation in London in F9, events played out that ended with the latter having the former arrested… or at least how it seemed at first. After the coast was clear, it was revealed that the authorities who took Dom away were actually a group of all-female mercenaries led by Cardi B’s Leysa, who goes way back with Vin Diesel’s character and is also allied with Helen Mirren’s Queenie Magdalene Ellmanson-Shaw. She helped him out of a jam, so don’t be surprised if she does that again in Fast X.
Leo Abelo Perry
Although Leo Abelo Perry is a newcomer to the Fast & Furious franchise, but his character is not. Perry is taking over as Brian Marcos, Dominic Toretto’s son whom he had with Elena Neves. The infant Brian (then unnamed) and his mother were kidnapped by Cipher in The Fate of the Furious, and unfortunately Elena was executed by Cipher’s henchman Rhodes. Dom, unaware before now that he had a son, welcomed little Brian into his life with Letty, and the kid briefly appeared as a toddler during F9. It seems like Perry’s Brian will have a decently-sized role in Fast X, as he’ll be taken hostage by Dante Reyes.
Scott Eastwood
In The Fate of the Furious, Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody was accompanied by a government agent who received the nickname Little Nobody. This agent was played by Scott Eastwood, and after sitting out the events of F9, he’s back for Fast X. What’s curious about Little Nobody’s return is that within the present-day Fast & Furious storyline, we still don’t know what’s happened to Mr. Nobody. He was aboard the plane carry Cipher, but when Dom and his team went to investigate the aircraft’s crash site, he wasn’t around. Is he dead or simply missing? I suspect that Little Nobody’s return will shed some light on that mystery, if not completely illuminate it.
Jason Momoa
Now that we’ve covered established Fast & Furious characters who are returning in Fast X, let’s go over the newcomers. First up, we have Jason Momoa, who already has a lot of franchise cred established from playing Khal Drago in Game of Thrones, Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe and Duncan Idaho in Dune. Although Momoa’s Fast & Furious character hasn’t been named yet, the actor has confirmed he’s playing a villain, whom he’s described as a “very flamboyant bad boy” with “a little panache.” We’ve since learned that Momoa’s character is Dante Reyes, the son of Hernan Reyes, Fast Five’s main antagonist. Dante is looking to exact revenge of Dominic Toretto and his crew for the death of his father, but it remains to be seen if he’s working with Cipher or if they’re causing trouble separately.
Daniela Melchior
Daniel Melchior has been professionally acting since 2014, but she made her English-language debut in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, where she played Cleo Caro, a.k.a. Ratcatcher 2. This breakout role paved the way for her star in movies like Assassin Club and the Liam Neeson-led Marlowe, and now she’s getting another opportunity to shine on a blockbuster stage through Fast X. Unlike Jason Momoa though, we have no idea who Melchior is playing in the next Fast & Furious movie at this time, though we will see the actress behind the wheel of a car.
Brie Larson
In February 2022, Brie Larson, who’s already famous around the world for playing Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pitched herself for a Fast & Furious movie. Well, her wish was granted; two months later, Vin Diesel revealed that Larson will participate in the Fast X craziness. Her character has been identified as Tess, an operative from Mr. Nobody’s agency, but long before that information was revealed, Diesel said fans have no idea how “timeless and amazing” Larson’s character will be in the Fast & Furious mythology. Louis Leterrier also stated that Tess “is connected to the franchise in a very strong way,” so maybe like Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes, she also has ties to someone from Fast & Furious past.
Alan Ritchson
We have another DC actor who’s coming along for the Fast X ride, as in addition to appearing in a handful of Smallville episodes as Aquaman, Alan Ritchson also appeared in the first three seasons of HBO Max’s Titans as Hank Hall/Hawk. However, a lot of you may be more familiar with Ritchson for playing the latest incarnation for Jack Reacher for the popular Amazon Prime Video series Reacher. Either way, Fast X gives Ritchson another action-related credit to add to his resume. He is playing Agent Aimes, who has reportedly succeeded Mr. Nobody in leading the covert ops agency.
Rita Moreno
The Fast & Furious franchise is all about family, blood or otherwise. In the former category, another member of the Toretto clan is being introduced: Dom, Mia and Jakob’s grandmother, who will be played by Rita Moreno, an alumnus from both film versions of West Side Story. Abuelita Toretto is seen in the Fast X trailer speaking to her grandchildren and their friends at the Toretto household, but whether that’s her only scene or if she has more screen time remains to be seen. Regardless, she’s a welcome addition to this film series before it wraps up, and it’ll be extra special if we learn she was quite the racer in her day.
CinemaBlend will keep passing along any major updates on Fast X, including who else is added to the cast of the highly-anticipated Universal Pictures feature. Meanwhile, look through the 2023 movie release schedule to see what cinematic stories are left to come out this year.
