With director Justin Lin’s F9 now playing around the world and opening in North America this weekend, I recently spoke to John Cena about joining the franchise as Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) brother Jakob. During the fun interview, Cena revealed what fans would be surprised to learn about the making of F9, what Lin and Diesel have told him about Fast 10 and beyond, how the Fast family really exists on set, and more. In addition, Cena also answers a “fan” question from director James Gunn which led to a great answer.
As you’ve seen in the trailers, F9 sees Dom (Diesel) enjoying his quiet life off the grid with his wife (Michelle Rodriguez) and son but is pulled back to the action when his estranged brother (Cena) comes back into his life. As you can easily surmise, this causes Dom and his “family” to have to come together to stop Cena from carrying out his master plan. F9 (Fast and Furious 9) also stars Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Han Lue (Sung Kang), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), Twinkie (Bow Wow), Earl Hu (Jason Tobin), Megan Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Magdalene Shaw (Helen Mirren), and The Fate of the Furious villain Cipher (Charlize Theron). Also joining the cast are Cardi B, J. D. Pardo, Shea Whigham, Anna Sawai, Michael Rooker, Finn Cole, Vinnie Bennett, Ozuna, and Francis Ngannou.
Check out what John Cena had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. Check back everyday this week for a new F9 interview.
John Cena:
- What makes James Gunn better than any other director he’s worked with?
- What does he think people would be surprised to learn about the making of F9?
- What has Justin Lin told him about Fast 10 and future installments in the franchise?
Here's the official F9 synopsis:
No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past.
F9 is the ninth chapter in the Fast & Furious Saga, which has endured for two decades and has earned more than $5 billion around the world.
Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, the upcoming The Suicide Squad).
F9 sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series when it transformed into a global blockbuster. The action hurtles around the globe—from London to Tokyo, from Central America to Edinburgh, and from a secret bunker in Azerbaijan to the teeming streets of Tbilisi. Along the way, old friends will be resurrected, old foes will return, history will be rewritten, and the true meaning of family will be tested like never before.
