Fast X Will Have 'Tremendous Casualties,' So Prepare The Coronas

Keep your seatbelts on and your fingers crossed — "Fast X" is blazing into theaters later this year and every single member of the sprawling cast is at risk of becoming a casualty of war. 

When it comes to this explosive franchise, danger is nothing new: The Toretto family has taken down some mighty villains in their time, and also graduated from the world of street racing to, yes, driving cars in space. When they aren't shattering the laws of physics, their everyday racing lives seem to include multiple explosions, death-defying stunts, and surviving impossible odds. So all things considered, it's shocking that there haven't been even more casualties along the way. 

But since no epic saga is allowed to conclude without a couple of major emotional gut-punches, all that is about to change. Picking up after the events of "F9," the upcoming film raises the stakes by uniting Charlize Theron's criminal mastermind Cypher with the mysterious Dante, a sadistic and eccentric adversary played by Jason Momoa. Usually, one villain is more than enough to push Toretto's crew to their limit so this time, they'll need all the help they can get. Don't expect to see anyone pulling their punches or, er, their brakes. Except — hopefully — in the many instances where brakes mark the difference between life and death.

"There's a war brewing," director Louis Leterrier teased during a chat with Empire Magazine. The filmmaker came aboard the film when it was mid-production, following the departure of longtime franchise director Justin Lin. This left Leterrier with the unenviable task of helming Part 1 of the blockbuster franchise swan song — which he promises will more than accomplish the promise of an epic, emotional conclusion. "It's coming to an end, and it is a race to the finish. There will be some tremendous casualties."

The casualties will be coming from both sides of the aisle, but that's no surprise to longtime fans of the films. Side-switching is an inevitability in the "Fast and Furious" world (basically every villain finds a way to run as a hero). The teams get shuffled and reshuffled over again, something that will clearly intensify as the final chapter approaches. "People are going to need to take sides," Leterrier warned during his interview. "Alliances will need to be made. Good guys will become bad guys, bad guys will become good guys."

No family is without its factions, no matter how hard Dom (Vin Diesel) tries to hold everyone together. There's no telling what kinds of internal fights will break out in "Fast X," but the sprawling cast includes the return of Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Ludacris as Tej, Jordana Brewster as Mia, Sung Kang as Han, Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw, Helen Mirren as Queenie, and John Cena as Jakob. The film also features Brie Larson, Rita Moreno and Cardi B.

"Fast X" hits theaters on May 9, 2023.