Is Francis Ngannou in Fast and Furious 9?
UFC heavyweight fighter Francis Ngannou is set to feature in Fast and Furious 9, aka F9, this summer.
The official release date of the movie is June 25, 2021, after being delayed several times due to the release of Hobbs & Shaw and then the COVID-19 outbreak.
What role does Francis Ngannou play in Fast and Furious 9?
While Francis Ngannou has confirmed that he is playing a role in the film, his actual character is yet to be announced. That will likely be kept a mystery till he actually appears on screen.
It’s well known that John Cena will be featuring as the main villain in F9. Some have speculated that Francis Ngannou could be part of Cena’s alliance in the movie. But there’s very little information that has been released about the role 'The Predator' will don in the movie.
Francis Ngannou has spoken about his experience while filming Fast Forward 9, noting that he finished his part in the movie back in September 2019.
It’s obviously been a long coming, but now Francis Ngannou is finally ready to hit the big stage.
At this moment in time, the 34-year-old's main focus is on UFC 260 this Saturday night, where he challenges Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title. It’ll mark the second time he'll go for the belt following his failed attempt to beat the reigning champion at UFC 220 in 2018.
If he can walk away as champion, it could do wonders for the promotion of Fast and Forward 9 in the weeks and months leading up to the movie's release.
Of course, it doesn’t seem Francis Ngannou is playing one of the main characters in the film. But his role is apparently important enough, as it has not yet been revealed.
It also raises an interesting debate about what the next step for Francis Ngannou could be. There’s a good chance he will keep fighting for a few more years.
But if he makes a good impression in the movie, a run in Hollywood could well be on the cards for the man who has long been tipped for superstardom.