When The Fast and the Furious opened up its engines in 2001, stealing DVD/VCR combos and not getting caught was the height of Dominic Toretto’s worries. Now almost 20 years later, Vin Diesel’s franchise stalwart has a family to care for, and a son he’s a doting father to. Which Diesel pointed out is is a very important factor in the overall story of director Justin Lin’s upcoming return to the franchise, F9.
Using the platform of Instagram yet again to share his feelings, Vin Diesel shared a behind the scenes video that shows off some of the F9 cast interacting with the twins that play little Brian Toretto. What you’re about to see is absolutely heartwarming, and very indicative of the softer side of Diesel’s normally gruff exterior. Which ties perfectly into the following discussion on why fatherhood is so important to F9’s story:
The theme of fatherhood feels like a very interesting subject to explore for Dom Toretto. You’re seeing the embodiment of what this whole saga stands for. I melt when I see baby Brian and Dom. Whenever he was on the set, the whole crew felt this magic, the whole cast felt the magic. Everything Dom does he has to consider the true source of his vulnerability which is his child. And there is no moment more powerful in this film then seeing Dom with his child.
Not only is it adorable to see Vin Diesel interacting with his cinematic son, it’s amazing to see F9’s cast having fun with the young actors playing the role. And the moment you can feel the magic the most is when Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster’s young co-star tells them both that he loves them. If you ever wanted to see what it looks like when Mr. Diesel’s heart is so full he’s about to cry, skip to about 30 seconds into the video and prepare to be moved.
Introduced as a big plot twist in the previous installment, The Fate of the Furious, Little Brian has grown quite a bit since we’ve seen him. Played by Isaac and Immanuel Holtane in F9, his presence anchors Vin Diesel’s Dom and Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty in a quiet life of family. Though this isn’t the “Family Saga,” it’s the Fast Saga, and it’s doesn’t take too long for danger and adventure to come their way.
Even with the intrigue that’s about to unfold with the return of Jakob Toretto, John Cena’s new F9 protagonist, there’s still a core of family values in the center of this film, and its respective franchise. Though the late Paul Walker’s character Brian is still be around in that universe, it’s questionable whether or not we’ll ever see him again in the films. So a young namesake acts as a fitting tribute to Vin Diesel’s spiritual brother, and even provides a pathway to a potential future with the next generation of racers.
F9 looks to continue the long held tradition of family mixing with fireworks, as Vin Diesel and the gang will be racing into theaters once again on June 25th. While it may be the week after Father’s Day, it might be a good idea to pencil in a trip to the movies with your dear old dad, or any other family member you celebrate the day with. Though bring some tissues if you decide to do so, because you never know.
