FILM · 2021 · JAPAN
F9
63 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (63)
- #001
Red Digital Cinema paid for heavy product placement of its Hydrogen One smartphone, but poor sales led the company to discontinue the film and exit the smartphone business in November 2019, after filming had been completed and months before the film's release. The COVID-19 pandemic then delayed the film to mid-2021, more than a year after the phone was discontinued.
- #002
F9 marks the first time the audience sees the tragic accident involving Dom's father and Kenny Linder. Dom first referred to the accident in The Fast and the Furious (2001), noting that it caused Linder to leave the racing circuit and be forced to work as a janitor.
- #003
Vin Diesel posted a photo on social media wishing Jordana Brewster a happy birthday. The caption hinted at her character's return in this sequel, after she had retired the character in Furious 7 (2015).
- #004
In the barbecue scene at the end of the film, Brian O'Conner is seen arriving at the Toretto house in a bayside blue Nissan Skyline (the same one he drove in Fast & Furious (2009)). Before his death, Paul Walker really did own a bayside blue Nissan Skyline R34 worth about $1.37 million.
- #005
Roman's line "You know ain't nobody gonna believe us, right?" was an improvisation, and Justin Lin likes it as an observation not just about the space adventure but about the franchise itself. None of them could have imagined the global phenomenon that could grow out of earlier, much smaller films.
- #006
Lucas Black returns in the film as Sean Boswell. He had previously played the character in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and in a brief cameo in Furious 7 (2015).
- #007
Justin Lin had brought Jason Statham in by the end of the sixth film but later decided to leave the team. Statham said he would leave too if Lin left, but the director convinced him to stay, and bringing him back for the final title sequence tag is a hint of what else is in store for the character.
- #008
Young Dom (Vinnie Bennett) beats Kenny Linder (Jim Parrack) half to death with a pipe wrench. The scene is a callback to The Fast and the Furious (2001), where Dom (Vin Diesel) tells Brian (Paul Walker) that he beat Kenny with a wrench and went to prison for it. In another scene (00:55:07), Brian's boss Sergeant Tanner (Ted Levine) states that he beat Linder with a 3/4" torque wrench.
- #009
Sung Kang returns as Han for the first time since Fast & Furious 6 (2013), though he appeared in flashbacks/archive footage in Furious 7 (2015).
- #010
This is the first film in the franchise since 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) not written or co-written by Chris Morgan.
- #011
Justin Lin returns as director. He last directed Fast & Furious 6 (2013).
- #012
For the first 10 minutes, a 1970 Dodge Charger 500 can be seen in the barn of Dom and Letty's farm. It is the same notorious car Dom drove in The Fast and the Furious (2001), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011) and Furious 7 (2015). The car keeps getting destroyed toward the ends of the previous films, but Dom later keeps repairing it off-screen.
- #013
On November 1, 2017, Tyrese Gibson announced that he would not appear in this film if Dwayne Johnson was in it. The two did not get along and Tyrese refused to work with him (November 2017). Gibson's involvement was restored once Johnson announced that he would be sitting this film out.
- #014
Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster are the only actors remaining from The Fast and the Furious (2001).
- #015
Sung Kang plays the character Han Seul-Oh. The character's surname emerged in Fast Five (2011) as a result of a facial recognition software match. This is a nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and its sequels featuring the character Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford. However, both actor Sung Kang and director Justin Lin, who also served as a producer on several Fast & Furious films, stated that "Seoul-Oh" is a nickname. Han's real full name is apparently Han Lue. In Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), Han Lue was played by Sung Kang. The film was directed by Justin Lin. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) is therefore a prequel to the Fast & Furious franchise, as also revealed in an interview with Justin Lin.
- #016
The giant armored truck seen in the final chase scene in Tbilisi is called 'Armadillo'; it is 14 feet tall, weighs 26 tons and took four months to build. Vehicle supervisor Alex King worked with production designer Jan Roelfs to engineer and custom-build two versions of the Armadillo. King said in the film's production notes, "The Armadillo, or as I always call it, the Mother Trucker, is the biggest on-screen vehicle I have ever seen and certainly ever built."
- #017
It takes place after the events of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), roughly two to three years after The Fate of the Furious (2017).
- #018
One of the scenes included in the director's cut is a brief reunion after Dom and Mia (Jordana Brewster) arrive at Dom and Letty's remote farm to babysit Little Brian, before Dom joins his team on his mission in Montequinto.
- #019
At 142 minutes (2 hours 22 minutes), F9 became the longest Fast & Furious film released in theaters. The previous record belonged to Furious 7 (2015) and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), both at 137 minutes (2 hours 17 minutes).
- #020
Justin Lin's F9 commentary addresses real-world concerns when he recalls Michelle Rodriguez's public comments about the treatment of female characters in the franchise — more specifically, the fact that they fail the "Bechdel test" (women in films whose roles revolve entirely around what the male characters are doing and who have no known lives beyond that limited perspective) — and said, "it was really strange for me because when I was part of the franchise I always felt like our female characters were, so I had a very good impression." He says he doesn't know what happened after he left, but acknowledges that Rodriguez was unhappy, and in response he added a scene in the Tokyo sequence in which Letty and Mia enjoy a quiet dinner together, reminiscing about the old days.
- #021
Stunt performer Joe Watts suffered brain damage after falling head-first 8 meters (26 feet) onto concrete when a safety line was cut. The stunt was filmed differently from how it had been rehearsed. The filmmakers were fined £800,000 ($1 million).
- #022
It was originally scheduled to open on May 22, 2020, but on March 12, 2020 it was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new premiere date was April 2, 2021, and it took over from Fast X (2023). In early October 2020 it was pushed back once more to May 28, 2021, to avoid competition with No Time to Die (2021) (which had itself been delayed from November 2020, also because of the pandemic).
- #023
This film uses the 1990s Universal logo, but in an updated form: it uses the current Universal music and the Comcast signature.
- #024
Justin Lin's F9 commentary reveals that he hopes to revisit Han, Gisele (Gal Gadot) and Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) and their adventures in future films.
- #025
At around 43:24, when Young Dom encounters Young Jakob in the street race, younger versions of all the characters from The Fast and the Furious (2001) can be seen, including Letty, Mia, Vince and Jesse.
- #026
Justin Lin says that in Hollywood creativity is something that often has to be fought for, especially when the subject is a big film. This franchise, however, is different, because they fully embrace absurd ideas.
- #027
It is the first film in the franchise since Fast & Furious 6 (2013) to be shot predominantly on Super 35mm film.
- #028
The fictional country of Montequinto, where the film's opening action scene takes place, is located somewhere in Central America or northern South America and features enormous karst rock formations as well as extremely high cliffs. Nothing remotely similar exists anywhere in the Americas: such formations are found only in Thailand, Vietnam and parts of the Philippines. (The sequence was shot in Thailand.)
- #029
Vin Diesel posted a video on social media stating that filming began on June 27, 2019.
- #030
In the scene with Vin Diesel and Helen Mirren (fleeing from the police after stealing the jewelry), Vin Diesel did everything backwards and in heels. It is often said in Hollywood, and of performers in general, that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.
- #031
Principal photography was completed on November 11, 2019.
- #032
Apparently Cipher's glass cell has neither furniture nor plumbing.
- #033
When Dom returns to the garage to talk to Buddy, Buddy's character (Michael Rooker) is wearing his City Chevrolet cap backwards. City Chevrolet was one of the sponsors of Cole Trickle's car in Days of Thunder (1990), in which Michael also appeared.
- #034
Sports writer and podcast host Bill Simmons has a cameo as a pit crew member in the opening race scene.
- #035
In the trailer, Dom drives a vehicle that appears to be a 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Its 6.2-liter V8 engine produces 707 horsepower and 650 ft-pounds of torque.
- #036
At one point the script approached 200 pages, but they came to their senses and shortened it.
- #037
In the chase scene in Edinburgh, Jakob (John Cena) steals and drives a red 2020 Toyota 86.
- #038
Cardi B is the third female music artist to appear in the franchise, after Rita Ora in Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Iggy Azalea in Furious 7 (2015).
- #039
Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham could not appear in the film because they were busy working on Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). (Johnson's public feud with Vin Diesel likely also played a part.) Statham does, however, show up in a post-credits scene.
- #040
Former UFC Champion Francis Ngannou, in his first acting role, plays a mercenary who fights Han on the back of an armored vehicle.
- #041
During the chase scene in Edinburgh and Tbilisi, Dom drives a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T named 'Hellacious.' The car was built entirely from scratch by SpeedKore Performance Group and cost more than 1 million dollars. The company supplied nine chassis and bodies for the shoot, but unlike those cars, Hellacious was built to be driven on the road. Its 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V-8 is mounted in a custom frame and sends 707 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a Graziano manual transmission from a Lamborghini Gallardo. It also comes with Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, a hydraulic handbrake, a custom MagnaFlow exhaust system, and new high-performance intercoolers and radiator. Custom HRE 18-inch "Hellacious" center-lock wheels with 275/35R18 front and 345/35R18 rear tires complete the purpose-built setup. "Hellacious" is made entirely of carbon fiber, just like SpeedKore's previous Chargers, but adds a widebody style custom-designed by Sean Smith Designs. Pronounced fender cutouts, a unique body finish and a glass rear cover that exposes the engine bay complete the aggressive body, while BASF Glasurit matte black paint adds a sinister style. SpeedKore president and owner Jim Kacmarcik said, "This Charger is one of our most extreme builds to date." "After commissioning renowned designer Sean Smith to design the car and working with F9's picture vehicle coordinator Dennis McCarthy to build nine chassis and vehicle bodies for the film, we wanted to bring F9's movie magic to life. 'Hellacious' is a street-going version of a movie car with the functionality of a purpose-built performance car."
- #042
WILHELM SCREAM: When Dom uses the magnets and when Letty runs over some of Otto's men in the final battle.
- #043
Justin Lin was also set to direct the next film, Fast X (2023), but he dropped out and was replaced by Louis Leterrier.
- #044
Although this was the first film of the post-COVID period to gross more than 700 million dollars, it was soon overshadowed by No Time to Die (2021).
- #045
It marks Jordana Brewster's return to the role of Mia Toretto, whom she had last played in Furious 7 (2015).
- #046
It is the franchise's first film shot with Panavision Panaflex cameras since Fast Five (2011).
- #047
Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) drives a 2017 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 during the chase in Edinburgh.
- #048
In his commentary on F9, Justin Lin said that despite the constant inconsistencies, he wanted audiences to genuinely believe the high-powered magnet technology shown throughout the film was "realistic," and that he actually shot footage showing more detailed controls on Mia's laptop for the magnets in each of the hero's vehicles used in the film's Tbilisi sequence, but ultimately cut the laptop shots because "it was an overload of intel," saying simpler is better for a film like this.
- #049
It was the 5th highest-grossing film of 2021.
- #050
As of August 2021, the film had passed 600 million dollars worldwide.
- #051
As of August 27, 2021, the film had passed 700 million dollars worldwide.
- #052
It is the first of two films released in 2021 to star both John Cena and Michael Rooker. The second is The Suicide Squad (2021).
- #053
The first trailer received 151 million online views in its first 24 hours. This was the first non-Disney trailer to be viewed more than 100 million times in that time frame since Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019).
- #054
While developing the scene in which Roman and Tej travel to space, Justin Lin consulted NASA scientists, who told him it was more realistic than many other stunts in the franchise.
- #055
It was released 10 years after Fast Five (2011).
- #056
It is the first film in The Fast Saga to be shot partly in Panavision (anamorphic). Most scenes were captured spherically with Panavision Primo Spherical Primes, while one flashback scene was shot with anamorphic lenses. Note the horizontal flares and oval bokeh in the background.
- #057
Jakob's car is a 2020 Ford Mustang GT350. Its special 5.2-litre V-8, codenamed Voodoo, produces 526 horsepower and revs to a dizzying 8250 rpm. It is also fitted with a firmer, race-ready suspension, lightweight carbon fibre wheels and more aggressive aerodynamic components.
- #058
It is the first Fast and Furious film since Tokyo Drift (2006) whose cast does not include Dwayne Johnson or Paul Walker.
- #059
Actor Michael Rooker had previously appeared alongside Tom Cruise in another racing film, Days of Thunder (1990). In DoT he played the rival NASCAR driver to Tom Cruise's character, and in this film he was part of Toretto's pit crew.
- #060
The film featured three custom 1968 Dodge Chargers designed specifically for it by SpeedKore, Dennis McCarthy and Sean Smith Design. One of the vehicles had a specially designed handbrake and was used as the "hell" car in several stunt scenes requiring sudden braking manoeuvres. Another was equipped with an automatic transmission and used as the "hero car" for close-ups with Vin Diesel inside the vehicle. The third was a "normal" show car with the same Sidewinder automatic transmission used in nearly all F&F films since the fourth instalment.
- #061
Justin Lin says there is a logic to the electromagnet gags and the action beats.
- #062
It is Tyrese Gibson's 10th film to gross over 100 million dollars domestically.
- #063
With this film, the Fast and Furious series' global box office revenue surpassed 6 billion dollars.
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