F9 (film)

F9 (also known as F9: The Fast Saga and internationally as Fast & Furious 9) is a 2021 American action film directed by Justin Lin from a screenplay by Daniel Casey and Lin.[9] It is the sequel to The Fate of the Furious (2017), the ninth main installment, and the tenth full-length film in the Fast & Furious franchise. The film 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 F9, Dominic Toretto and the team come together to stop a world-shattering plot headed by Toretto’s brother, Jakob.

With a ninth film planned since 2014, Lin was confirmed as director in October 2017, returning to the franchise since last directing Fast & Furious 6 (2013). F9 is the first film in the franchise since The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) not written by Chris Morgan. The cast was finalized with the addition of Cena 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 by Universal Pictures on April 19, 2019, but was delayed several times, first due to the release of Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and planned release of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s No Time to Die (2021), and then the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11][12] It premiered in South Korea and release international on May 19, 2021, and in the United States on June 25.[13] The film received mixed reviews with praise for the stunts and Lin’s direction, but criticism for its unrealistic action sequences and formulaic script. F9 set several pandemic box office records and grossed over $721 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2021.

A sequel is set to be released on April 7, 2023.

In 1989, Jack Toretto–father of Dominic, Jakob and Mia–participates in a late model race, with his sons working in the pit crew. Dom argues with rival racer Kenny Linder about his dirty tactics. During the race, Linder’s car clips Jack’s bumper, causing his car to crash, killing him. A week later after the race, Dom is arrested for nearly beating Linder to death. While serving his sentence, he recalls that Jakob had worked on their father’s car the day he died and concludes that Jakob killed their father. Upon release, Dom confronts and challenges Jakob to a race, forcing him to leave town when he loses.