In the past twenty years, the Fast and Furious franchise has certainly amped up its star power. While the action series became a jumping off point for its core actors such as Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and the late Paul Walker, it’s now brimming with A-list talent, including Grammy-winning, platinum-selling rapper Cardi B. The “Bodak Yellow” performer and personality has an unknown role in F9.
Vin Diesel is a producer on the upcoming blockbuster and he recently revealed how and why Cardi B ended up nabbing a role on the action-packed epic. In his words:
John Cena, such a blessing to work with and is so incredible. Obviously we have Helen Mirren. Obviously Charlize Theron. And my daughter wanted a piece of casting to happen, so Cardi B is in it. Well you have to work through the writers and you have to create a role that will work through mythology. Strange enough, 20 years ago, you wouldn’t have thought this, but now we do have Oscar winners asking.
Apparently one of Vin Diesel’s kids is a huge fan of the rapper and asked him if she could be added into the mix. So the Fast and Furious lead actor made it happen! He worked with the writers of F9 to find a place for her and easy peasy, she’s joining the Fast family. It doesn’t sound like it was a tough feat to get the “I Like It” hitmaker in the movie at all.
In his recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Vin Diesel also teased the possibility of an Oscar winner joining the cast in F9. After mentioning the fact that high-caliber actors have been asking the production if they could join in on the fun, Kimmel asked him who would be a good fit for the franchise and Diesel said this:
That’s a great question. I may give away a little too much if I… Yeah. There’s some secrets that have to be kept close to the vest for the audience because I belong to them.
Hmm… could there be another massive bit of casting left to be revealed in May? That’s certainly an exciting tidbit to keep in mind. For now, Cardi B is an exciting addition to F9. She recently had her first film role in Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez, Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu, Julia Stiles and Lizzo.
Although Cardi B had a small role in Hustlers, her influence shouldn’t be discounted as a factor in the film’s success. The movie made $157.5 million worldwide on a $33 million budget and received awards buzz. The real stripper Jennifer Lopez’s character is loosely based on especially loved Cardi B in the movie and wished she played her in the movie instead.
At the center of conversation is coronavirus concerns with upcoming big-budget movies. Universal has already pushed back No Time To Die from April to November. Could F9 follow suit? One recent report claims the car flick and Black Widow will keep their May release dates. Diesel doesn’t like the idea of moving it or his other movie Bloodshot and as a producer he might have enough pull to keep it at its current date on May 22, 2020.
