John Cena Reacts to Joining 'Fast & Furious' Franchise: 'It's An Incredible Honor'

John Cena is set to appear in Fast & Furious 9 and he's grateful to have been cast. The [...]

By Caitlyn Hitt

John Cena is set to appear in Fast & Furious 9 and he's grateful to have been cast. The professional wrestler-turned-actor spoke a bit about the opportunity on Friday, shortly after news broke.

Cena, 42, tweeted that the Fast & Furious franchise has been delighting audiences "for nearly 20 years," crediting the films with featuring some of the most infamous "cinematic moments in history." He went on to say that he was honored to be cast in the upcoming film, hailing the cast as "family."

Universal Studios confirmed on Friday that Cena would appear in Fast & Furious 9. His character is unknown, but was described by the studio as a "badass," according to Deadline. Cena will replace Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who reportedly won't be returning for the movie.

Fast & Furious 9 will be writted by Dan Casey and based on a story by director Justin Lin. Production on the film is due to begin this month, with the targeted release date set at May 22, 2020.

Cena's casting wasn't a surprise to all Fast & Furious fans. Vin Diesel preciously teased his involvement in an April 25 Instagram video, in which Cena briefly appeared toward the end. The actor was shown waving at fans.

Fast & Furious 9 is the latest film in the franchise, following the success of F. Gary Gray's The Fate of the Furious. The film was among the highest-grossing movies ever released. It raked in a whopping $1.239 billion worldwide.

Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are expected to resume their Fast & Furious roles for the upcoming film. Rodriguez said she intended to return to the film if — and only if — Universal hired a woman to write it. Universal Pictures executive Donna Langley obliged, which suggests Rodriguez will be back.

The actress spoke at length about her frustrations with the lack of scenes she had with other female co-stars, specifically Brewster, during an event in London last month.

"I can count with two hands how many times I spoke to my female colleagues. Like Jordana, who played the sister. I've been in the franchise for 16 years, and I can count on both hands how many times we've actually had a conversation on screen, and I thought that was pathetic," she said. "And I said if I'm coming back, I really want there to be a female writer to give it a female voice, and finally they showed me some love."

Little else is known about Fast & Furious 9 at this time.

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