Fast & Furious 9 alternatively known as F9 or The Fast Saga is set to hit theaters on the 22nd of May, 2020. Most of the cast members will be returning and, after missing out on the previous two installments, Justin Lin will return to direct a Fast & Furious movie for an impressive fifth time.

In the upcoming film, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) gathers his crew again to fight a new villain known as Jakob (John Cena). Jakob also happens to be Dominic’s younger brother. There’s plenty of things to look forward to, along with a few things that are a bit worrying.

Excited: The Return Of Han

All along, it was believed that Deckard Shaw killed Han in order to get back at Dom. There was even a “Justice For Han” movement on the internet for a while. Everyone in the franchise appeared to have forgiven Shaw. The Hobbs & Shaw movie washed his sins completely and made him a hero. However, it now appears that Shaw never killed Han.

Han was seen in the latest trailer where he reunited with Dom. But how? It will be interesting to see how the movie explains his reemergence. Hopefully, Han hasn’t been raised from the dead and genetically-enhanced like the villain Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) in Hobbs & Shaw.

Nervous: John Cena As The Villain

The Fast & Furious franchise has basically become the factory that molds WWE superstars who can act into mega Hollywood titans. In the 2000s, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t a major box office draw but when he appeared in Fast Five in 2011, he quickly shot to A-list status. The same is likely to happen to John Cena.

Cena will be playing Dominic Toretto’s brother Jakob, who is also the supervillain. The problem is that he has never had this kind of role before. Cena has never been a villain, not even in WWE. So, will he really be able to pull it off? His last film Playing With Fire (Rotten Tomatoes: 21%) wasn’t a critical and commercial success either.

Excited: Cipher Is Still Calling The Shots

Cipher (Charlize Theron) is basically the Blofeld of the Fast & Furious franchise. Like the Bond villain, she is always indirectly involved in proceedings, and she’s very good at what she does. While John Cena will be the big bad guy, Cipher will also be returning to try and pull some more strings to make sure Dominic Toretto gets hurt.

In The Fate of the Furious, it was revealed that Cipher has been using every villain to push her own agenda since the very first films. She manipulated the Shaw brothers and now she is looking to do the same with Jakob. Recent history suggests that if Cipher and Jakob get along too much, we might just get another spin-off titled Cipher & Jakob.

Nervous: The Absence Of Hobbs

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson didn’t get along with key cast members such as Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson, so it’s likely that he won’t be interested in appearing in a direct sequel again. The next time we see him, it might be in Hobbs & Shaw 2. 

Dwayne’s character, Hobbs, has become synonymous with the franchise since he was first tasked with hunting down Toretto and his team in Brazil. Not only was Hobbs equipped with guns and muscles but he was also equipped with witty lines. For example, when Letty sees him arriving alone in a shootout scene in Furious 7, she asks “Where is the cavalry?” and he responds with, “I am the cavalry.” Hobbs will be missed.

Excited: More Crazy Stunts

The franchise is littered with crazy stunts that included jumping (or rather attempting to fly) from one car to another in the middle of a chase, pulling a giant vault through the streets of a city, and reversing into a cliff. Fast & Furious 9 should deliver more of the same.

In the latest trailer, a Pontiac Fierro gets strapped to a rocket engine and…off it goes. Jakob and Toretto are also seen jumping from a building onto the top of a double-decker bus in London. What about the scene where a vehicle speeds through a falling bridge? The goodies will be numerous.

Nervous: Family Has Become A Cliche

Dominic Toretto loves family. He even thinks of his friends as family. But “family” has now become monotonous in the franchise. The franchise has almost moved into soap opera territory. This is the second time Fast & Furious will have a supervillain who is the brother of one of the characters, with Owen and Deckard Shaw being the first.

Queenie (Hellen Miren), who is the mother to the Shaw brothers, will also be returning. She will be reminding viewers of another family while also reminding Dominic Toretto about the importance of family, because what is life without family? Family…family…family.

Tokyo Drift often feels like the most neglected installment in the franchise, mostly because neither Vin Diesel or Paul Walker starred in it. Diesel only had a small cameo at the end. There was also much fan dissatisfaction with how little Tokyo Drift’s Sean Boswell had to do in Furious 7.

Justin Lin must be seeking to correct this, given that both Boswell and Han are back. A brief trip to Japan wouldn’t be bad either. The late-night race competitions in Tokyo Drift were some of the best, and it would be great to see Dom showcasing his prowess in one of them.

Nervous: The Possible Return Of Brian O’Connor

After the real-life death of Paul Walker, the character Brian O’Connor wasn’t killed off but retired from the Fast & Furious franchise instead. Brian and Mia decided to settle for a quieter, peaceful life with their two kids. However, in the trailer, Mia returns to join Dom and his crew.

What does this potentially mean? It would also be interesting to note that Vin Diesel posted an image of Paul Walker’s brother Cody back on set. Previously, Cody had stepped in to film the scenes which Paul had left unfilmed before his death. The return of Brian O’Connor would be interesting but would it really be a good thing?

Excited: Funny Roman Pierce

The past few years haven’t been easy for Tyrese. He had a public feud with Dwayne Johnson and he also broke down publicly due to family issues. However, things are looking up for him. He was recently cast as agent Simon Stroud in the Marvel/Spiderverse film Morbius. 

In the trailer for Fast & Furious 9, Gibson reprises his role as Roman Pierce, a skilled driver and childhood friend of Brian O’Connor who always manages to be comical in the most heated of situations. Roman also appears to be the one driving the car fitted with a rocket engine and he is completely freaking out while doing so.

Nervous: Same Old Plot

If people ever get tired of the Fast & Furious franchise, it will be because the plots are always too familiar. There is rarely a complex story or a huge conspiracy like in the Bond or Bourne movies. The franchise simply relies on the cars and action to carry it along.

Perhaps the audience will be in for a surprise, with subplots that are full of twists and turns. This would be much welcome, however, the Fast & Furious 9 trailer doesn’t promise much other than intense action and lots of family issues. Time to switch things up, a bit?