Keanu Reeves almost joined the Fast & Furious family.
In a casting choice that would’ve made the internet explode, Keanu Reeves was set to star in Fast X as a key bad guy. But as we know with the film’s release, Alan Ritchson (Reacher) plays Aimes.
Ritchson spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his role in the film, letting loose the information about Reeves’ once-planned casting.
Ritchson tells the outlet, “It was just a little stroke of luck and good timing. I was working on a movie with Hilary Swank up in Winnipeg in the freezing cold, and I got a call that things had shifted in the plans with Keanu Reeves, which is, I think, who was originally intended to play my part,” before adding, “Tough act to follow.”
Ritchson would end up with the role of Aimes, the new leader of the agency formerly run by Mr. Nobody. He’ll next star in Reacher Season 2, which Amazon has ordered.
SEE ALSO: Vin Diesel says female-driven Fast and Furious spin-off is in the works
As for John Wick himself, Reeves could still play a role in the next installment, as Fast & Furious 11 is still in development.
Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved, and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.
In 2011’s Fast Five, Dom and his crew took out nefarious Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio De Janeiro. What they didn’t know was that Reyes’ son, Dante (Aquaman’s Jason Momoa), witnessed it all and has spent the last 12 years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price.
Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.
Fast X is directed by Louis Leterrier and features a cast that includes Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Cardi B, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Charlize Theron, and Gal Gadot.