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Nathalie Emmanuel Interview: F9

The Fast and Furious family keeps growing with every new movie, but fans’ love for the returning members remains the same. F9 introduces some characters that are sure to be iconic, but it also adds layers to already existing ones that are sure to have audiences raving.

Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Ramsey, gets to dip her toe in the action like never before and take control of certain unexpected situations this time around. The actress spoke to Screen Rant about working with Justin Lin and getting behind the wheel for the first time.

This franchise is nearly 20 years old. How were you were introduced to it?

Nathalie Emmanuel: I actually saw it at a friend’s house. I was probably about 11 or 12,  and I was at a friend’s house. We were like, “Let’s watch Fast and Furious,” and I was like, “Okay!” And it literally blew my mind, really, because I was 12 and watching these really cool actors in this really cool subculture that I had no idea about. I just thought it was really epic.

You’ve been a part of this franchise for a while now, and I feel like the scale keeps getting bigger and bigger. Can you talk to me about how F9 compares in scale to the other Fast and Furious films? 

Nathalie Emmanuel: I think that Fast 9, compared to the others, has just somehow jumped to a whole other level. The amount of action, the size of the action, has just somehow… These movies have an elite level of action, but this one seems to have grown in a way that I could not have foreseen. It’s pretty huge.

You get behind the wheel this time around finally. Can you talk to me about that and the preparation that goes into these scenes? Because there’s some great moments with you behind the wheel.

Nathalie Emmanuel: Wow. In terms of the driving, we have a really experienced stunt team and stunt performers. In terms of what preparation goes into that, I have no idea – you’d be better off asking those guys.
But for my involvement in the driving sequence, the driving’s sort of done in the location, and then I am in a stationary truck. We’re in a soundstage, doing the close-ups, because that’s the safest way to do it. Also I don’t drive, so the idea of filming me while I was driving a big industrial vehicle seems like not a very safe idea.
That’s kind of how those things are done. But in terms of my personal preparation for that, I really didn’t do any. I don’t drive; I don’t know how to drive, particularly. So, it came quite organically to me to be clumsy at driving.

F9 Ramsey poses in front of a car

What did you want to bring to Ramsey this time around that wasn’t necessarily on the page?

Nathalie Emmanuel:  I think the plot leads Ramsey to have to really show leadership, like the situation really expects it from her. And I definitely feel like, in this movie, she had to take control in a way that we hadn’t seen her before. Usually, it’s team effort and everyone’s doing their thing. But there was a lot of Ramsey having to really guide everybody and be confident at it. And I think that, while the situation is on the page – what she has to say and what she has to do – I really wanted to make sure that she had a confidence and a purpose.
And then when we see her driving and she’s completely out of our comfort zone, there’s that juxtaposition of not being confident not being fully equipped to do what she needs to do. I just liked that kind of contrast, really.

One thing that’s usually found in the Fast movies is the theme of family. Why do you think that the found family element is so important to the fans?

Nathalie Emmanuel: I’m very blessed in life to have a really supportive family tho I grew up with, and then also my chosen family. And they are both so incredibly important to me and to my well being, and I don’t know how I would do anything without them. And I think not everybody is blessed to have an immediately safe or supportive family environment that they grew up in, so this idea of being able to choose your family and that you can find family and community is a really big deal for a lot of people.
I think that that connects to people; that really helps people relate. Because we look for community in all kinds of places, and it’s possible to find your tribe.

Your character came into this franchise with ties to Cipher. In your opinion, can we explore that storyline there somewhere deeper, maybe in F10? 

Nathalie Emmanuel: Oh, I’d love that. I kind of feel like Cipher is – as much as she’s using her abilities in a bad way, and in a sort of negative way – there’s a part of me that feels like Cipher is Ramsey’s idol.
For years, she knew who Cipher was but didn’t know the identity of Cipher. And now that she’s found out who it is, there’s a part of her that’s going to be really impressed with that. It’s like, “Oh, you’re doing bad things, but you’re kind of iconic. And I’m conflicted by these emotions.”

I want to see that story play out.

Nathalie Emmanuel: Me too. That’d be epic. I mean, Charlize is amazing.

Nathalie Emmanuel in Fast and Furious 7

Can you describe working with Justin Lin this time around? Did he give you any insight into where Ramsey was going in F9?

Nathalie Emmanuel: Yeah, he definitely was like, “We want Ramsey to be doing more action,” and that kind of thing. He fed me that before I really got the real script; the shooting draft. So, that was really cool.
But he was just open, really. When I met him, he was just like, “I want to know your thoughts about Ramsey. What do you think that she’s thinking, and who is she?” It was the first time we’d worked together, so a lot of our kind of prep was him getting to know me and know Ramsey through me as well. And it was amazing. He’s a very supportive director, and he wants you to play and have fun and throw ideas. He’s very receptive to all of that, and he was it was really great working with him.
And he’s Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious franchise, and I hadn’t worked with him yet. I was really excited. I felt like I’ve been like fully initiated now. In the fold.

Can you talk to me about what it’s like to be a part of a franchise that continues to grow and tell these amazing stories throughout the years?

Nathalie Emmanuel: It’s just so much fun. It means so much. And at the end of the day, these movies wouldn’t keep going if people didn’t support them, and the fans didn’t support them. The fact that we are on movie nine, and it’s my third movie in this series, means so much.
It’s really rare. This is a really rare thing to happen, especially in such an arbitrary and unpredictable industry. Trends change, but people have kept with these movies and supported them, and we have nobody but the fans to thank for that. It just is so heartwarming. Thank you.

Do you have an ideal heist for F10 in your head?

Nathalie Emmanuel: That’s a really difficult one. Maybe it could be, I don’t know, taking down the like 1% or something. Redistributing wealth, let’s do that.

There’s another thing that you’re involved with that I’m extremely excited about, and that’s the prequel to Army of the Dead. Can you talk to me about that a little bit?

Nathalie Emmanuel: Yeah, I can’t say too much, because I’m actually not sure what I’m allowed to say about that. But it was a real fun movie that we shot at the end of last year in Prague, and it was with Matthias Schweighöfer, who plays Dieter. It’s his origin story, and Army of Thieves kind of gives you an idea of what we’re up to.
I don’t want to give too much away, but it was a lot of fun. Matthias is directing as well as starring, and it’s so great. He has such a great energy of a person, and we have a lot of fun together. I’ve been speaking to him recently, and he’s so pleased with the film. It’s really exciting. I’m looking forward to watching it.

Next: Tyrese Gibson Interview for F9

Key Release Dates F9 The Fast Saga Poster

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Fast & Furious 11 Release Delay & Filming Start Date Confirmed By Director

Summary

Fast and Furious 11
is facing a release date delay to Summer 2026 due to strikes, with director Louis Leterrier confirming the sequel will not be hitting its April 4, 2025 date.
Leterrier also confirms that filming starts in Fall 2025 after finishing a horror movie in September.
The final installment in the
Fast Saga
reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto for one last ride, while also leaving the door open for other spinoffs.

After facing multiple delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, Fast and Furious 11 is seeing its release date delayed. The next installment in the Vin Diesel-fronted franchise is expected to be the last mainline sequel, while development continues on the Dwayne Johnson-led spinoff Hobbs & Reyes, a mysterious standalone movie penned by Fast X’s Zach Dean and a potential female-led spinoff. While a filming start date was never confirmed, Universal had previously set the movie for an April 2025 release date.

During a recent interview with Collider at a CCXP MX panel, Louis Leterrier was asked for an update on Fast and Furious 11. The director went on to confirm that the final mainline installment in the action franchise will no longer be making its April 4, 2025 release date, instead now aiming for a Summer 2026 release window with the filming start date being set for this fall. Check out what Leterrier said below:

It’s happening. It’s happening very, very soon. I’m able to shoot a little horror movie this summer. I’m finishing my horror movie on September 15th, and I start Fast on September 16th.

Will Fast 11’s Multiple Delays Help Or Hurt The Sequel?

Much like the tenth film before it, Fast and Furious 11 has faced a few behind-the-scenes hardships in its road to getting off the ground, namely the delays stemming from the 2023 strikes. While the latest movie seems to have retained its core creative team in comparison to the shift in directors from franchise vet Justin Lin to Leterrier on Fast X after reported creative differences between the former and Diesel, this change didn’t seem to help much with the continued downward trend recent sequels have seen from critics. Check out how the franchise’s Rotten Tomatoes scores compare below:

Title RT Critical Score RT Audience Score The Fast and the Furious 54% 74% 2 Fast 2 Furious 37% 50% The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 37% 69% Fast & Furious 28% 67% Fast Five 78% 83% Fast & Furious 6 71% 84% Furious 7 81% 82% The Fate of the Furious 67% 72% Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw 67% 88% F9: The Fast Saga 59% 82% Fast X 56% 84%

Even looking outside the Fast and Furious franchise, many movie sequels have found themselves hurt by various delays, be they from creative changes, general release shifts or other factors. The action genre in particular is one in which lengthier development periods can lead to diminishing returns, be it A Good Day to Die Hard, Rambo: Last Blood or Diesel’s own xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. While Fast and Furious 11 may only be getting pushed back by a year, the delay is nonetheless a concern that the final installment could find itself in trouble.

Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) looking angry with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) looking unimpressed in Fast & Furious

Related 10 Most Exciting Things To Expect From Fast 11 Fast & Furious 11 will pull all the strings to become bigger than the previous installments, and here is why the film is worth being excited about.

On the other hand, the longer wait for Fast and Furious 11 to close out the mainline series of movies could actually prove beneficial for the sequel. Though Leterrier may be busy with another project in the lead-up to filming the next installment, writers Oren Uziel and Christina Hodson should now have more than enough time to really look back at the script and ensure it learns from the critical missteps of recent installments to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the Dominic Toretto saga.

Source: Collider

Fast and Furious 11 temp poster Fast and Furious 11 Fast and Furious 11 is the final movie in the Fast Saga. It reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto with the rest of the cast for one last ride. However, the franchise is open for spinoff films like Hobbs & Shaw afterward.Director Louis Leterrier Release Date April 4, 2025 Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Christina Hodson , Oren Uziel

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Vin Diesel Already Has His Perfect Fast & Furious Replacement Franchise With 51-Year-Old Remake

Summary

Vin Diesel’s dominance in Fast & Furious is ending, but Kojak could kick off a new action franchise for him.
Kojak’s reboot faces an uncertain future, but its similarity to Fast & Furious makes it a worthy project for Diesel.
Diesel’s potential shift from criminal racer to cop signifies a fresh start in a possible Fast & Furious-like series.

Vin Diesel’s days of playing Dominic Toretto are numbered, but the actor has already found his perfect Fast & Furious replacement. Diesel found a major breakout role in the early 2000s thanks to participating in The Fast and the Furious. The original 2001 street racing crime movie became the springboard for a sprawling franchise that has lasted for over two decades. The success of the Fast & Furious movies transformed Vin Diesel’s career, turning him into an even bigger star, especially in the action movie genre. But, Fast & Furious 11 is planned as the final chapter for him and the franchise.

The Fast & Furious franchise’s end will put Vin Diesel in an unfamiliar position of not having a major franchise to lean back on. This presents the actor with various options, such as changing the course of his career to pursue non-franchise roles. However, the more likely outcome is that Diesel will attempt to find a new IP that can replace Fast & Furious. He has had trouble in that regard recently, with franchises like xXx or Riddick running cold and Bloodshot and The Last Witch Hunter failing to launch franchises. There is another option for Diesel, though.

2:03 Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto from The Fast & Furious Franchise

Related Vin Diesel May Have Spoiled Fast & Furious 11’s Ending With $2.7 Billion Movie Comparison Dom’s death happening in Fast & Furious 11 may have been spoiled already, with Vin Diesel comparing the upcoming movie to another big franchise.

Kojak Can Be Vin Diesel’s New Action Crime Franchise After Fast & Furious
Diesel Has Been Developing The Reboot Since 2015

The impending conclusion of the Fast & Furious franchise means it is finally time for Vin Diesel’s Kojak reboot to get off the ground. The project was announced back in 2015 with Diesel re-teaming with Universal Pictures, the studio behind Fast & Furious, to develop a movie based on Kojak. The original TV series starred Telly Savalas as Theo Kokaj and ran for three seasons after debuting in 1973. The series revolves around Kojak, a New York detective known for being willing to go beyond the law and a love for cars and lollipops, and follows him as he investigates different cases.

Kojak was rebooted in 2005 as a TV show starring Ving Rhames, but it only ran for six episodes

Development on Vin Diesel’s Kojak movie has not been very active in the nine years since it was announced. However, it still maintains the base similarities to Fast & Furious, which makes the project a worthwhile endeavor for Diesel in terms of finding a new action franchise. He would now have another big action series about cars and crime, essentially making Kojak into a newer version of Fast & Furious. The irony here is that Diesel takes on the role of a cop after playing criminal racer Dominic Toretto.

Vin Diesel’s Involvement Can Morph Kojak Into A Major Action Franchise
Kojak Could Be A Fast & Furious Clone
Telly Savalas talking on the phone in Kojak

Looking at the original TV show, Kojak might not necessarily project to be a major blockbuster action franchise akin to Fast & Furious. The TV series was relatively grounded and small due to the nature of its production. However, the fact that Diesel and Universal pinpointed this property as something they wanted to revive together is telling. The announcement of Kojak’s reboot came months after Furious 7 debuted in theaters and took the franchise to new heights at the box office and in terms of how ridiculously big the action and story could get.

It’s sometimes difficult to remember that Fast & Furious started off with a story about DVD thieves who were also street racers before Diesel helped turn it into something much bigger. With that experience and success already behind him, it would be understandable if a similar path was envisioned for Kojak. The series could then morph into a Fast & Furious clone, one that gives Vin Diesel a new franchise to headline and Universal a “fresh” action franchise to grow.

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The Rock’s WWE Run Means Fast & Furious 11 Must Make 1 Major Hobbs Change

Summary

Hobbs from Fast & Furious 11 needs a gritty edge like The Rock’s WWE character to keep the franchise fresh and exciting.
The Rock’s time away from the Fast & Furious universe provides the perfect reason for Hobbs to return with a personal vendetta and a more savage attitude.
While Hobbs shouldn’t become a full-fledged villain in Fast & Furious 11, adding some edginess and dirty tricks could make his character more intriguing and dynamic.

Fast & Furious 11 must make one major Hobbs change after The Rock’s incredible WWE run. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s WWE return surpassed his recent movies, with the actor creating some of the best work of his career. Having returned to a thunderous reception, The Rock was able to flip the crowd’s reception by becoming a heel and playing a major part in WrestleMania’s main events. The Rock hasn’t played a villain on screen for years, as even his depiction of Black Adam lent more into the character’s anti-hero side, which made his wrestling run all the more refreshing.

While his wrestling character may not perfectly translate into the Fast & Furious universe, there is one aspect of The Rock’s WWE run that the franchise should attempt to implement. After debuting in Fast Five, The Rock’s best Fast & Furious scenes helped contribute to the movie series becoming so popular, with Luke Hobbs becoming an instrumental part of the story. He was even given his own spinoff alongside Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and is set to get a solo movie in the future. Despite this, Hobbs would still benefit from adding one key aspect of The Rock’s WWE run.

The Rock’s WWE Run Proves Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Give Hobbs More Of An Edge
Fast & Furious Would Benefit From Hobbs Adopting Some Of The Rock’s WWE Tendancies
Dwayne The Rock Johnson in Black Adam, WWE, and Hobbs and Shaw

Given how electrifying The Rock’s recent WWE run was, there is no doubt Fast & Furious 11 needs to give Hobbs more of an edge. Although the character has had his more serious moments, like most of the Fast & Furious cast, Hobbs tends to mix action with comedy. Hobbs and Shaw are supposed to be two of the more stoic heroes, yet they are constantly at each other’s throats and cracking jokes to help maintain the franchise’s lighthearted core. However, giving Hobbs a grittier side would help the character thrive upon his return.

The Rock’s Fast & Furious return may redeem Fast X’s box office, but the character needs to come back stronger than ever. By allowing him to be more ruthless, he can still maintain some elements of comedy but also become more interesting in the process. Johnson proved that despite being a detestable heel, he was still as hilarious as ever during his recent WWE tenure. This proves that he can maintain Fast & Furious’ tone and humorous style while being more layered; therefore, Hobbs adopting some of The Rock’s WWE characteristics could make him even more entertaining.

Fast & Furious Already Has A Reason For Hobbs To Be More Savage
Hobbs Has Been Away From The Franchise For Several Years

Making a major change to Hobbs’ character could be tough to explain, but Fast & Furious 11 already has a great reason to make him more savage. His four-year absence from the franchise gives him a perfect excuse to come back with a vengeance and potentially have a personal attachment to Fast & Furious 11’s villains. Hobbs’ time away from the main story could be explained through a connection to Fast X’s secondary villain, Aimes. Aimes’ villain twist in Fast X was well executed and suggests he’ll be around for the sequel, which is the perfect reason to bring back Hobbs.

Having a more personal story with one of the villains could allow Hobbs to continue his great quips and one-liners, but it would also give him more of an edge.

Fast X never explained why he’s back, but having a personal vendetta against Aimes could be an intriguing reason. Given Dom and Dante are the focal point of the franchise’s conclusion, Hobbs returning to take down Aimes would avoid overshadowing the main story while still giving him an interesting role. Having a personal story with one of the villains could allow Hobbs to continue his great quips and one-liners, while also giving him more of an edge. This provides The Rock with the perfect reason to implement some of his heel traits while still portraying a morally good hero.

2:34 Image 147 Related Predicting The Ending Of All 13 Fast & Furious Characters In Fast 11 The Fast Saga is set to conclude with Fast & Furious 11 – or Fast X 2 – but how will Dom Toretto and his family’s stories come to a definitive end?

Why Fast & Furious Can’t Bring The Rock Back As A Villain
Hobbs Already Appeared As An Antagonist In Fast Five
A custom image featuring Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs in the Fast and Furious movies Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury

Although The Rock’s villainous tendencies worked well in the WWE, Fast & Furious can’t bring him back as an antagonist. Johnson already played the main villain of Fast Five, as Hobbs was originally an enemy of Dom and his crew before becoming an ally. Hobbs’ role in Fast Five was one of his best, but despite being the main antagonist, he always had a level of integrity. Dropping all of this to make him a villain in the final movie would be completely unnecessary, especially as the franchise needs him to remain a hero for his spinoff.

Fast & Furious 11 may end the main story, but The Rock will be part of the franchise beyond this, and altering his character so drastically wouldn’t make any sense. Instead, adding some extra edge to his character would have the same effect and would avoid stealing the thunder from Dante and Aimes. Although Fast & Furious 11 shouldn’t make him a villain, the film can still allow Hobbs to play dirty and pull some cheap tricks in order to show a grittier side, while letting him taunt his enemies when he inevitably helps save the day.

Fast & Furious 11
is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 4, 2025.

Fast and Furious 11 temp poster Fast and Furious 11 Fast and Furious 11 is the final movie in the Fast Saga. It reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto with the rest of the cast for one last ride. However, the franchise is open for spinoff films like Hobbs & Shaw afterward.Director Louis Leterrier Release Date April 4, 2025 Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Christina Hodson , Oren Uziel

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