Last week it was confirmed that the FAST & FURIOUS saga had officially snagged one more massive superstar from the world of wrestling, John Cena, who would be making his first appearance in the upcoming ninth outing. Getting to open up about his casting, Cena spoke about how much he loves this franchise born out of fast cars and slick action, and that fans can expect the very best from his work in the upcoming movie.
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Cena sat down with EW for the chat about him joining the blockbuster series, a process that started to pick up steam when the star turned up in one of Vin Diesel’s Instagram videos about the future of the series. But last week the knot was tied for real, with and though he didn’t share any details about his incoming character, Cena opened up about how excited he is to be joining the ever-evolving franchise.
“There are countless ways to describe the upside of an opportunity like this. First and foremost, I’m a car guy, and that is what the franchise was built off of. They have a way of weaving this family narrative and making it a truly successful and globally reaching franchise. They’re also known for delivering the larger-than-life action and continue to outdo themselves, but they never shy away from story and the narrative that they’ve developed. They’re constantly redefining the franchise but not redefining the ethos. Literally, I’m surrounded by a group of people who are better than I am and such skilled people with so much experience, so what a great environment to learn from. It really is a tremendous opportunity.”
Diesel’s video in April certainly turned Cena’s involvement into a real possibility, but the ball started rolling over a year before then when the star said it would be “a dream” to join the series and possibly work alongside another series star, Dwayne Johnson. Cena says that interview with EW was likely how this whole thing got started, and now that he got the gig, he’s not going to waste the opportunity.
“I’d like to think your interview was the one that sparked it, so I’m thankful to you. But also, I certainly owe a thanks to Vin Diesel as well. Because he sent out a social media message kind of alluding to the fact that that opportunity may be real, but at the time it certainly was not. And his message had a lot of weight and appeal to it. I guess that kind of got this avalanche of opportunity rolling, and I’m just really happy to get the chance. I give everybody who is attached to the franchise and who enjoys the franchise the promise that you will get my absolute best.”
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Sadly, it’s not looking like Cena will get to work with Johnson on the ninth outing as the latter has his own thing going on with this year’s spinoff – HOBBS & SHAW – and doesn’t seem to be returning to the main series. A lot of that can be traced back to a series of feuds that have been reported on between Johnson and other members of the cast, like Diesel and Tyrese Gibson, the latter being upset with Johnson for delaying the release of the ninth movie by working on the spinoff.
As a result, Cena's casting may be Universal's way of filling in a gap left by Johnson's absence. Cena, like Johnson before him, has made the full transition from wrestling star to movie star, having lead roles in acclaimed movies like BLOCKERS and BUMBLEBEE, with even more on the way. He certainly has charm to spare and muscles to match, so he will probably fit right in with the series. That being said, he may want to do something with that abundance of hair on his head. Doesn't really fit with the series' style.
FAST AND FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW is in theaters August 2.