Fast X Adds Reacher Star Alan Ritchson To The Cast

The cast of "Fast & Furious 10," officially titled "Fast X," continues to grow despite having some trouble behind the scenes. And when we say we grow we mean it as Alan Ritchson, the hulk of a man who heads up Amazon's "Reacher" series, is the latest addition the #FastFamily He is just the latest high-profile newcomer to provide even more star power to a franchise that is already loaded down with it from top to bottom.

Ritchson's casting was first reported by Deadline. For the time being, there is no word on who precisely the actor will be playing, be it a villain, an ally to Dominic Toretto and his crew, or something in between. What we know for sure is that Ritchson will be joining the likes of Jason Momoa ("Aquaman") and Brie Larson ("Captain Marvel") who are also making their "Fast & Furious" debuts in the upcoming tenth installment of the long-running series.

Production is currently underway, though it has hit some pretty major speedbumps in the early going. Justin Lin, who had directed many entries in the series up to this point including "F9," departed the director's chair mere days into filming. This allegedly had to do with conflicts with Vin Diesel, though Lin is remaining on board as a producer. He also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Dan Mazeau. Louis Letterier ("The Incredible Hulk") has been tapped by Universal Pictures to replace Lin.

For Ritchson, this represents a chance for the breakout star to reach an even wider audience. Proper to his star-making turn on "Reacher," which debuted its first season on Prime Video earlier this year, the actor starred in other big franchises, but in smaller capacities. He played Hawk in the HBO Max DC series "Titans," and also played Raphael in the Michael Bay-produced "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies. But "Fast & Furious" is literally one of the biggest franchises on the planet. Couple that with the success of "Reacher" and this could catapult Ritchson to another level of stardom.

Plot details remain under wraps for the latest entry in the "Fast" saga. We know that the plan is to wrap up the main series with a two-part finale that will kick off with this film. We also know that some familiar faces will be back once again, namely Charlize Theron's Cipher, who has been a primary antagonist since "The Fate of the Furious." Aside from Theron and the newcomers, the entire core cast is set to return once more, save for Dwayne Johnson, who has made it crystal clear he is not returning as Hobbs in the main films anymore.

"Fast X" is currently set to hit theaters on May 19, 2023.