Vin Diesel Believes That Paul Walker Sent John Cena to Play His Brother in F9: THE FAST SAGA

F9: The Fast Saga is introducing a surprising new character from Dom’s past, his brother, Jakob. Vin Diesel revealed that he considered a wide range of actors for the role, but he ended up casting John Cena, and Diesel believes that the late Paul Walker sent Cena to him for the role.

Diesel explained to Extra (transcription courtesy of WrestleZone):

“We had started talking about the brother role way early on. When it came time to cast, that became a riddle that was so hard to answer. Every actor was on the table. Every actor was thought about because I’m multicultural, every single actor could be my brother. So to carefully address the overall methodology because there’ll be answers in ‘Fast 10’ that will even explain or mystify you more.

“The moment it happened in two seconds, the idea of John Cena came up. I had a dojo, a shrine, a Dom shrine where I would go and get into character, get into that Dom state of mind. It had all the ‘Fast’ memorabilia, it had weights, and it was a training center to get ready for the movie. He came in one day to meet me. And I gotta tell you, and it sounded crazy at the time, and it probably still sounds crazy, I had felt because I like to be in tune, I had felt that Paul Walker sent him into the shrine. And I didn’t question it at all. And I didn’t question it all.”

That’s certainly an interesting way of casting someone in a role. Regardless of how the casting came about, Cena seems to fit the role of Jakob perfectly ,and it’ll be fun to see him and Diesel face off with each other.

Here’s the synopsis for the movie:

No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past. Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena).

F9 sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series when it transformed into a global blockbuster. The action hurtles around the globe—from London to Tokyo, from Central America to Edinburgh, and from a secret bunker in Azerbaijan to the teeming streets of Tblisi. Along the way, old friends will be resurrected, old foes will return, history will be rewritten, and the true meaning of family will be tested like never before.

F9 was directed by Justin Lin, and it also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Cena, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Cardi B, and Ozuna.

The movie is set to hit theaters on June 25th.