WARNING: Minor FAST X spoilers lie ahead.
Hold on to your seatbelts because the Fast & Furious franchise was this close to adding another A-list superstar to its already stellar lineup! The one and only Keanu Reeves, the man behind the legendary John Wick and one of the sweetest viral TikTok subject , was in talks to join the Fast family in the latest adrenaline-pumping installment, Fast X. But, as fate would have it, things took an unexpected turn, and the role fell into the capable hands of Amazon’s Reacher actor, Alan Ritchson. In a recent interview, Ritchson, who plays Agent Aimes in the tenth movie, bravely admits that stepping into the shoes of Reeves was like trying to catch a speeding bullet with chopsticks.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Alan Ritchson shared the story of how he ended up snagging the role. According to the actor, his casting in the part of Ames was a total “stroke of luck.” He told the publication:
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. A tough act to follow.
Chris Morgan, a longtime writer for the Fast franchise, further extrapolated on the actor's claims. According to the writer, Keanu Reeves, who has long been circling the Fast franchise, had previously been considered for a villainous role in the first spinoff of the series, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Reeves intended to voice the antagonist behind the Eteon organization. So it's interesting that he was also being considered for a villain role in Fast X.
Securing the role in Fast X wasn’t a smooth ride for Alan Ritchson. He revealed a whirlwind of timing challenges came dangerously close to derailing everything. Just when they thought they had it all figured out, Mother Nature intervened with what sounds like some truly gnarly weather:
Basically, the deal was if there’s no problems, we don’t shut down for COVID or weather, this should work, and about two weeks later, we got news that we were going to get hit with the biggest blizzard in Winnipeg’s history. All production shut down. It was disheartening. I thought it was over before it began, but luckily we worked it out, and they were able to push the dates a little more.
Fast X roared into the box office with thunderous success, leaving competitors like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie eating its exhaust fumes. Critics' eyes were mostly on Jason Momoa, as he made his debut in the fictional universe, and it's easy to see why pundits couldn’t stop raving about his portrayal of one of the FF franchise’s all-time greatest villains. While domestic earnings for the monumental 10th installment may have fallen slightly short of the sky-high expectations, it was still a massive international hit.
The film has again proven that this series is a global phenomenon that refuses to hit the brakes, which is good considering Vin Diesel has teased the finale as a trilogy. What we know about the eleventh Fast film is minimal; we don’t know for sure who will and won’t return. But perhaps Keanu Reevescould finally snag a role before the franchise says goodbye.
You can catch Alan Ritchson excellently portraying Agent Aimes in Fast X now, so make sure to check your local listings for showtimes. Or if you want to see the star in a more heroic role, check out his series Jack Reacher, which now streaming with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Whatever you do, check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next trip to the cinema.
