Fast X Included Franchise-Changing Dom & Dante Twist Befo...

Fast X Included Franchise-Changing Dom & Dante Twist Before Director Exit

Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes in Fast X

By Cooper Hood Published 26 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 Vincent

Cast

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Vin Diesel Dominic Toretto
Michelle Rodriguez Letty Ortiz

Prequel(s) Fast & Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The Fast and the Furious, Fast 5, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, Fast and Furious 8, F9: The Fast Saga1 Sequel(s) Fast and Furious 11, Fast & Furious 12 Franchise(s) Fast and Furious Genres Action, Crime, Thriller, Adventure, Mystery Powered by

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Fast X
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