“Reacher” breakout star Alan Ritchson is in talks to join “Fast X,” the 10th installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.
The film will open in theaters May 19, 2023. The film recently kicked off production.
Louis Letterier is set to direct, replacing Justin Lin, who departed the project.
Star Vin Diesel also previously revealed that Brie Larson was set to join the “Fast” family for the new film, and in a recent interview with TheWrap, Helen Mirren hinted that she was hoping that she could return to the franchise as well.
Portuguese actress Daniela Melchior, who broke out playing Ratcatcher 2 in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad,” is in talks to join the cast of “Fast 10,” as TheWrap exclusively reported.
One actor who won’t be in “Fast X” is Dwayne Johnson, who made his lack of presence official last summer. “I wish them well on ‘Fast 9,’” the actor said. “And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10 and Fast 11 and the rest of the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies they do that will be without me.” Johnson further resisted a public plea by Diesel later last year for him to reprise his role as Hobbs in the planned final installments in the franchise.
“F9: The Fast Saga” opened last June and brought in $726 million worldwide as part of Universal’s multibillion dollar mega franchise.
Ritchson broke out as the title character in Amazon’s critically acclaimed hit series “Reacher,” based on Lee Child’s international bestselling novels. The action-packed series was quickly renewed for a second season, ranking among Prime Video’s top five most-watched series ever in the U.S. and globally. Additionally, “Reacher” is one of the most binged Original series ever on the platform, with many fans devouring all eight episodes of its inaugural season in its first 24 hours of release. It is also the first Prime Video series to hit No. 1 on Nielsen’s SVOD rankings. Ritchson most recently expanded his relationship with Amazon Studios after closing a three-picture film deal for acting. This follows wrapping production on the Lionsgate film “Ordinary Angels” opposite Hillary Swank, previously having made his directorial debut for the studio with “Dark Web: Cicada 3301,” which he also wrote and starred in.
Ritchson is represented by WME, Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment, Shelter PR and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
Deadline first reported the news.