Fast X keeps speeding up production, with Rita Moreno added to the cast as the grandmother of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Diesel shared the news on his personal Instagram account, underlining how he feels “blessed” for being able to work with the Hollywood legend.
In the announcement video, Diesel tells fans of the Fast and Furious franchise that Moreno has joined the upcoming sequel as his grandmother, a fact that “makes [his] soul smile.” In the video, Diesel is sitting right next to co-star Michelle Rodriguez and Moreno herself, who says she was just waiting for an invitation to jump aboard the multimillionaire franchise.
Moreno sure is one hell of an addition to the franchise. The star is one of the only 24 people in cinema history to be awarded Academy, Emmy, and Tony awards for acting, with a Grammy Award on top of everything to prove she’s truly a talented artist. Moreno was part of both West Side Stories films, HBO’s Oz, and Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? The Puerto Rican icon was also recently part of the voice cast of Maya and the Three.
As recurring Fast & Furious star Tyrese Gibson revealed, Fast X will flesh out Dom's (Diesel) backstory. In the last film, F9, the leader of the Fast Family had to face some ghosts of the past, as his brother (John Cena) came back to challenge him for the position of ultimate action man. Now that we know Fast X involves Dom's grandmother, it looks like the highly-anticipated sequel will expand the Toretto family even more.
While the plot of Fast X is being kept under wraps, the sequel will be the first part of a two-movie story that’ll reportedly end the franchise. Fast X will star Jason Momoa as the movie’s main villain, yet another big superhero star who gets involved with the franchise after Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot and Peacemaker’s John Cena. Fast X has also enlisted another member of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad by adding Daniela Melchior to the cast. Finally, the newcomers’ cast also includes Brie Larson, currently Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Alan Ritchson. Returning cast members include Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, and recently announced Scott Eastwood.
After co-writing and directing F9, Justin Li was set to helm both parts of the Fast Family final adventure. However, after disagreements on set, Lin quit the director’s chair, being replaced by Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk)
Fast X will drive into theaters on May 19, 2023. Check out Diesel’s original post below.