Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes in Fast X
By
Cooper Hood
Published 35 minutes ago
Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.
He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
New details about what Fast X looked like before director Justin Lin departed have emerged, with the filmmaker wanting to deliver a huge twist for Dominic Toretto. Lin, the man who helmed five of the Fast & Furious movies, shockingly left the tenth installment just days into production in 2022. The reason for the exit was rising creative differences with franchise star/producer Vin Diesel.
It's now been revealed that Lin had a massive, franchise-altering twist in mind for Fast X before he left. While the movie was largely rewritten following Louis Letterier's hiring to replace him, Lin's vision included a grand reveal that Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes was Little Brian's father, not Dom. The detail comes from Barry Hertz's new book "Welcome To The Family", which has been released.
In the chapter discussing Fast X's development and production, Hertz revealed the shocking twist plan and detailed the differences in opinion among the franchise's key creatives:
A key source of discord centered around the script and its ending. While a cliffhanger was always part of the Fast X plan, several drafts of the screenplay also hinged on a jaw-dropping twist in which Dante is revealed to be the true father of Little Brian. Some members of the film’s team felt that the late-game turn was the perfect, if deeply dark, way for Dom to reckon with the concept he held most dear: family. The proud patriarch of the Fast clan would have to put his life on the line for a child who wasn’t biologically his own—who was in fact the offspring of his most feared nemesis. Others, including Diesel, felt differently.
Little Brian's importance to the Fast Saga traces back to The Fate of the Furious. Dom's former love interest (before Letty returned from the dead), Elsa Pataky's Elena Neves, is revealed to have secretly raised the franchise lead's young son in the years following Furious 7. And once Cipher kills Elena, Dom is left to be a very present father to his kid, whom he names Brian.
Letty, Dom, and Little Brian in The Fate of the Furious
F9 included more of Little Brian as a child, but it was Fast X where Dom and Elena's kid came to have a bigger role. There's an entire subplot about keeping him safe from Dante. In the finished film, Momoa's villain wants to kill Little Brian as a way of getting revenge on Dom for killing his father in Fast Five.
Now, it becomes clear that Dante and Dom could have had very different motivations if Lin had stuck around. Rather than Diesel's hero risking everything to protect his biological child, he'd have to do it for a kid he suddenly learns he is not related to. Once the director was gone, so too was this potential reveal, with Diesel's preference winning out.
On one hand, it makes sense that Diesel and others would be opposed to Fast X making such a reveal. It could have hurt Dom's story over the last few movies, with fans potentially getting upset over such a retcon. It would change the nature of Dom and Elena's relationship, not to mention the one between "father" and "son."
However, it's also a twist that could have really deepened the Fast & Furious' overarching themes. These movies are about family as much as they are cars, if not more so. While that includes biological families, mostly with the Toretto lineage, found family is also key. Roman, Tej, Ramsey, etc., are part of Dom's family, even if they aren't biologically related.
Making it so Dom's own "son" is not actually his would continue that idea. He'd have a chance to choose to love the kid as his own because of the strength of their relationship, rather than whose DNA he shares. While Fast X stopped well short of delivering the twist, perhaps it could come back into play in Fast 11 if Diesel's tune changes.
"Welcome To The Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, The Blockbusters That Supercharged The World" is out now
34
6.9/10
6/10
Fast X
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Crime Thriller Adventure Mystery Release Date May 19, 2023 Runtime 142 minutes Director Louis Leterrier Writers Justin Lin, Dan Mazeau Producers Jeff Kirschenbaum, Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Samantha VincentCast
See All-
Vin Diesel
Dominic Toretto
-
Michelle Rodriguez
Letty Ortiz
Expand
Collapse
-
Fast X
-
Fast and Furious
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
56 minutes ago
30 Years After The Lion King, Disney's New Mufasa Bombshell Changes Everything
4 hours ago
Superman’s Final Form Debuts, Officially Rewriting 87 Years of DC History
4 hours ago
Star Trek’s Worst Change to the Borg Is Officially Canon
6 hours ago
The X-Men's Most Controversial Look Isn’t Going Anywhere
More from our brands
Why Vin Diesel Wasn’t in 2 Fast 2 Furious
50 Best New Movies on Streaming to Watch Right Now
40 Awesome Cartoons Only 2000s Kids Will Remember
Inside ‘The Brave and the Bold’: Everything We Know About James Gunn’s Batman and Robin Film
30 Best Quotes About Family In The Fast & Furious Franchise
It's Officially the End of an Era for The Fast & The Furious
The 10 Best Villains From the Fast and Furious Movies, Ranked
Trending Now
Zootopia 2 Post-Credits Scene Explained: How It Sets Up Zootopia 3
Simu Liu Slams Hollywood For Continued Lack Of Diversity: "[It's] F**king Appalling"
Why The Mighty Nein Changes Critical Role Campaign To Kill THAT Character Explained By Showrunner & Cast
