STACK #203 Sep 2021

FILM Q&A

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“I usually approach these one at a time, but when I came back, Vin pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re finishing this with me.' We’ve been talking about this final chapter for almost ten years, and I’ve always thought it was just kind of an exercise, that we were never going to realise it. But it’s been pretty great to actually approach F9 knowing that we’re going to go into the final chapter, so it’s a new process for me. It’s actually kinda emotional, but I also feel fortunate to be here and trying to figure all that out now. We know the general sense, but now we have to work out the rest of the elements.” FAST 10

STACK caught up with director Justin Lin, who returns to the Fast & Furious franchise for his fifth time in the driver’s seat with Fast & Furious 9 . Words Gill Pringle

“But when it came to spacesuits, I realised that if you’re underwater or in space, it’s actually very similar, so you could actually use a diving suit if you were gonna go up. I think the only thing is that the air would expand a little bit more because of the pressure.”

F ast & Furious 9 melds all the dizzying action, stunts and family dynamics that fans have come to expect from the franchise. Only this time, Justin Lin was determined to conquer the ‘final frontier’ for the series’ ninth instalment… You’ve known the Fast & Furious cast for a long time. How have they changed since you last worked with them? "I think being away for a bit and coming back, I have a new sense of appreciation. I think when we started off, we were all single and just trying to find ourselves, and now being back, a lot of us started families and we have kids now. I think in filmmaking, especially in Hollywood, it can be a very lonely place and the fact that we have each other still, I could feel that on set and feel that in how they approached each scene when we worked together, and there’s a trust that we’ve developed in time. I think in being away and now coming back, the one thing that I really felt is that there’s 100 per cent trust in whatever crazy ideas we want; we are always going to be there for each other."

• Fast & Furious 9 is out Sept 1

The theme of family continues to drive the franchise, so to speak. “It’s interesting because I think

very early on, we had two routes to take. I remember talking to Vin about this, and there was an option where you could have the same characters going through different adventures, but they’re the same character. Then there’s also the option where you actually acknowledge that they’re ageing, they’re evolving, they’re maturing, and they’re going to have real-life issues, starting families, having kids… and so we chose to take the latter route. At the time, it was just a choice that we thought was interesting. But in my 15 years with this franchise, when I would run into different fans around the world and they would talk about Dom or Han or Roman or Letty, I always got a sense that when they talked about them, it was almost like they were a part of their family, because they were growing with them. I think in coming back to do this one, I came back to be able to further explore this theme of family. But through blood is something we’ve never done before, so that was very exciting. And I knew by doing that, it would allow us to go back to explore and solidify some of the Fast mythology elements.

Speaking of crazy ideas, Fast & Furious 9 goes into space! “It’s interesting because the fans have been talking about it and had fun with it, but I think, internally, we’ve always been talking about, ‘Is there a way for us to truly earn our way to space?’ “We’re 20 years in, and maybe working on Roman [Tyrese Gibson] and his existential crisis felt like it was a good fit – if we were going to do it at any point, this was the one where we were going to try. “As a whole, I would say when you’re looking at that sequence of going to space, it’s actually much more scientifically sound than a lot of the set pieces that we have in our franchise. I got on the phone and I talked to NASA scientists, and we did

MERCH MONTH of the

FAST CARS AT JB HI-FI

Collectible Fast & Furious 9 Die Cast 1:24 Scale Replica Vehicles 2020 Toyota Supra (Metallic Orange) 1970 Dodge Charger (Black) (also available in 1:32 Scale)

a lot of research; the Virgin Galactic launch gave me the idea that you need less fuel if you’re higher in the atmosphere.

10 SEPTEMBER 2021

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