Fast & Furious 9 has been sitting revving its engine for more than a year now thanks to numerous pandemic-related delays, but with restrictions gradually lifting around the globe the latest chapter in the blockbuster action series looks on course to hold its current release plans.
The latest instalment in The Fast Saga is scheduled to open in the US and the UK on June 25th, but Universal is looking to get a head start internationally and has brought forward the release date some five weeks in a number of overseas markets where the theatrical industry is already showing strong signs of recovery.
China – where the Fast & Furious brand is enormously popular – will now get to see Vin Diesel and company’s latest ridiculously high-octane adventure on May 21st, as will Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Russia and the Middle East.
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Despite some restrictions on capacity still in place, Chinese theaters have been doing big business in recent months, with the local title Detective Chinatown 3 smashing Avengers: Endgame’s record for the biggest ever opening weekend in a single market this past February. Assuming F9 pulls in some impressive numbers in the Middle Kingdom, could this help to reassure Western audiences that it’s safe to return to the cinema once more?
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 Suicide Squad).
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.
F9: The Fast Saga sees Justin Lin directing series veterans Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, and Helen Mirren, along with franchise newcomers John Cena (Bumblebee), Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders), Anna Sawai (Ninja Assassin), Vinnie Bennett (Ghost in the Shell), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Cardi B (Hustlers), MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, and singer Ozuna.
Originally published April 20, 2021. Updated April 19, 2021.
