Helen Mirren Drives in Fast & Furious 9, Confirms Vin Diesel

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Helen Mirren Drives in Fast & Furious 9, Confirms Vin Diesel

Helen Mirren is returning for Fast & Furious 9 and, according to producer and star Vin Diesel, she'll finally get her wish to drive a car.

Helen Mirren is returning for Fast & Furious 9 and, according to producer and star Vin Diesel, she'll finally get her wish: to drive a car. The ninth and penultimate Fast & Furious chapter before the two-part Fast saga finale follows the return of Dom and Mia's long-lost brother Jakob, now a deadly assassin working with Cipher (Charlize Theron). There have been rumors, confirmed by star Michelle Rodriguez, that Fast & Furious 9 will somehow take the action off the streets and into outer space, but Diesel was not ready to verify that news just yet. After over a year delay, Fast & Furious 9 will open in theaters on May 28.

Mirren first appeared in the franchise via an uncredited role in The Fate of the Furious (the eighth Fast & Furious movie). She plays Magdalene "Queenie" Shaw, the mother of Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw, Luke Evans' Owen Shaw, and Vanessa Kirby's Hattie Shaw. Mirren returned for a supporting role in Hobbs & Shaw, but only for a brief scene. The actress, who hadn't had much of an opportunity to star in action films over her 50+ year career, publicly lobbied for a role in the Fast & Furious series and privately approached Diesel at a party to express her interest. A week later, Diesel had the writers include a post-credits scene that introduced the character, though she never got to participate in any of the action. That's all about to change, according to Diesel.

Diesel spoke with Entertainment Weekly about Fast and Furious 9 and, after playing coy for a bit, confirmed that Helen Mirren will finally get her wish.

Without giving away any spoilers…You know what, I'm going to give you a spoiler: Yes, she gets to drive... It's so awesome. She gets to drive and she gets to drive sleek.

Mirren once said, "My great ambition is ... to be a mad driver in a Fast and Furious movie," and now it would appear she's achieved her goal. Fans did get a very brief glimpse of Mirren sitting behind the wheel of an unseen car in the Fast & Furious 9 trailer, offering up this ominous dialogue: "There's nothing more powerful than the love of family. When you turn that to anger, there's nothing more dangerous." As Diesel didn't offer any further details on how Magdalene comes to drive in the film, it will be exciting to see it unfold onscreen.

Curiously, Mirren returns for Fast & Furious 9 despite Statham, Evans, and Kirby not being part of the announced cast so far. Dwayne Johnson, who famously feuded with Vin Diesel during the filming of The Fate of the Furious, also will not be back for Fast and Furious 9, but another former wrestler, John Cena, joined the production to fill the void. It will be interesting to find how Mirren's character fits into Fast & Furious 9, as well as her time behind the wheel.