Did you know we were supposed to get the ninth Fast & Furious movie, F9, back in May? It’s true! But then coronavirus hit, and Universal, more than any other studio, had the full measure of the catastrophe and knew that it wasn’t some brief interlude. They kicked their big movies like F9 back to 2021, and that has allowed director Justin Lin the proper amount of time to finish the movie rather than racing to meet a release date that had already been invalidated.
Yesterday, Lin tweeted out that the film has been officially mixed, which means the movie is pretty much finished. There may still be some VFX that need to be polished or some other nips and tucks, but the takeaway here is that the film will be completed long before its May 28, 2021 release date. While that date still may be slightly optimistic based on how long it takes to manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine, at least Universal isn’t in the position of constantly pushing the film back two months at a time (looking at you, Warner Bros. with Wonder Woman 1984).
#F9 mix officially finished!
Huge thank you to the best crew the world for working through such unprecedented times flawlessly. pic.twitter.com/maOncvJ11M— Justin Lin (@justinlin) November 11, 2020
Here’s the official synopsis for F9:
No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past.
Summer 2020 is the time for F9, the ninth chapter in the saga that has endured for almost 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, next year’s 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 Tblisi. 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.
The film stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. F9 also features Grammy-winning superstar Cardi B as new franchise character Leysa, a woman with a connection to Dom’s past, and a cameo by Reggaeton sensation Ozuna.
F9 is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Justin Lin, Clayton Townsend and Samantha Vincent. http://www.thefastsaga.com
via Collider