F9 (also known as F9: The Fast Saga and Fast & Furious 9) is a 2021 American action film directed by Justin Lin, who also wrote the screenplay with Daniel Casey. It is the sequel to The Fate of the Furious (2017), the ninth main installment, and the tenth full-length film released overall in the Fast & Furious franchise. The first film since Fast & Furious 6 (2013) to be directed by Lin and the first since 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) not to be written by Chris Morgan, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Dominic Toretto and the team come together to stop a world-shattering plot headed by Toretto's brother, Jakob.
With a ninth and tenth film confirmed since 2014, Lin was confirmed to be returning to direct F9 in October 2017. Cena joined the cast in June 2019 and principal photography began that same month and lasted until that November, with filming locations including London, Los Angeles, Tbilisi, and Thailand.
F9 was originally scheduled for worldwide release in April 2020, but was delayed several times, first due to the releases of Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and No Time to Die (2021), and then the COVID-19 pandemic. It premiered in South Korea and was released internationally on May 19, 2021, and released in the United States on June 25. The film received mixed reviews with praise for the stunts and Lin's direction but criticism for its unrealistic action sequences and formulaic script. It has grossed over $423 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2021.
- Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, a former criminal and professional street racer who has retired and settled down with his wife, Letty, and his son, Brian Marcos.[10]
- Vinnie Bennett portrays young Dominic.[11]
- Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, Dom's wife, and a former criminal and professional street racer.[10]
- Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, an ex-habitual offender and a member of Dom's team.[10]
- Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Tej Parker, a mechanic from Miami and a member of Dom's team.[10]
- John Cena as Jakob Toretto, Dom and Mia's brother who is working as a master thief, assassin, and a high-performance driver.[12]
- Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, a British computer hacktivist and a member of Dom's team.[10]
- Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Dom and Jakob's sister and a former member of his team who has settled down with her partner, Brian O'Conner, and their two children.[13]
- Sung Kang as Han Lue, a former member of Dom's team who was believed to have been killed.[14]
- Michael Rooker as Buddy.[15]
- Helen Mirren as Magdalene "Queenie" Shaw, the mother of Dom's former enemies Owen and Deckard.[16]
- Kurt Russell as Mr. Nobody, an intelligence operative and the leader of a covert ops team.[4]
- Charlize Theron as Cipher, a criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist who teams up with Jakob.[16]
Additionally, Anna Sawai portrays Elle,[11] Thue Ersted Rasmussen portrays Otto,[4] J. D. Pardo portrays Jack Toretto, Jim Parrack portrays Kenny Linder, Martyn Ford portrays Sue, and Cardi B portrays Leysa, a woman who shares history with Dom.[17][4]
Lucas Black, Don Omar and Shea Whigham reprise their respective roles as Sean Boswell, Santos and Agent Stasiak from previous films,[14] while Bow Wow and Jason Tobin also reprise their roles as Twinkie and Earl Hu from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), respectively.[18][14] Cered and Ozuna portray young versions of Leo and Santos, respectively.[19] Gal Gadot briefly reprises her role as Gisele Yashar, via uncredited archive footage of Fast & Furious 6, and Jason Statham makes an uncredited cameo during the end credits as Deckard Shaw.[20]