In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, F9 star Vin Diesel all but confirmed that Cardi B’s character, Leysa, will return for the franchise’s 10th entry.
“We are very much excited to evolve her character and to expand it to the finale,” Diesel said. “She made it just in time. She came in Fast 9 just in time.” The film’s director, Justin Lin, also sat down for an interview with ET, and raved about how easy it was to integrate Cardi into the Fast & Furious universe.
“She showed up, and within a minute, she’s part of the family, right?” Lin said. “And I love how when I got together with her, her and Vin were talking about the character because she’s actually really embedded into the overall universe. She’s been around for a long time and this is just the first time we are seeing her, so I’m really excited to explore that character of her.”
The ninth entry in the blockbuster film series finally hits theaters this Friday (June 25), and is already tearing it up at the international box office. The film raked in a whopping $162.4 million in its opening weekend back in May, premiering in Korea, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and China, among other regions. The China market was especially lucrative, contributing $135.6 million to the box office.
F9 hits stateside theaters this Friday, and stars Diesel, Tyrese, Ludacris, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, and Kurt Russell.
You can watch the trailer here.
