'Fast And Furious 9' Hits The NOS Button, Casts 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Star Michael Rooker

Fast and Furious 9 has been filming for almost two months already, and it's still adding cast members to the Fast family. The latest addition is Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), who will be playing a new character in the delightfully insane action franchise. Here's what we know about his role so far.

According to Deadline, Rooker will be playing a character named Buddy in Fast and Furious 9, a name so vague that it could mean just about anything. Is it a sarcastic nickname? Is Buddy an accomplice of Kurt Russell's Mr. Nobody, or maybe a new second-in-command to Charlize Theron's computer hacker Cipher? (Cipher survived The Fate of the Furious by parachuting out of a plane.) Could Buddy be one of Dominic Toretto's pals from his old racetrack days? Will the Fast universe wade even deeper into wild waters and bring in Buddy as Dom's father, a character whom Dom witnessed die in a car explosion years before the events of the first film? Hey, if they plan to bring Han back after a similar death, nothing is too nuts for these movies.

Deadline calls Rooker a "last minute addition" to the film, which has been shooting since June 24, so we don't expect to see any more new faces added to the cast. (Francis Ngannou, the #2 fighter in the heavyweight division of UFC, was also brought on board just a few days ago.) But Rooker is a welcome addition to this cinematic universe, because he's an actor who's proven time and time again that he understands the tones of the films he's in and that he's willing to look silly for a part if it calls for it: think of his uptight character in Mallrats, or the way Yondu yells "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Regardless of which side of the law he's on in Fast 9, I can't wait to see Rooker mix it up with Dom and his crew.

Dan Casey wrote the screenplay, Justin Lin is returning to the director's chair, and this sequel stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, and John Cena.Fast and Furious 9 skids into theaters on May 22, 2020.