‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star Michael Rooker Joins ‘Fast & Furious 9’ Cast

From one multi-billion franchise, Michael Rooker is jumping onto another multi-billion franchise with his recent addition to Fast & Furious 9 cast. According to Deadline, Rooker will be taking on the role of Buddy in the last-minute addition to the production which is already underway. Further details about his role are currently being kept under wraps.

Rooker’s breakout role was in his spine-chilling portrayal of a heartless murderer in the John McNaughton’s 1986 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. And in the past years, he made a comeback from a waning career with his role as Daryl Dixon’s brother Merle on The Walking Dead. Soon after, he scored the role of the Star-Lord’s blue-faced, snarky scavenger mentor Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.  This role earned him a Teen Choice Award nomination for “Choice Scene Stealer.” He also recently starred opposite Mahershala Ali in HBO’s True Detective. Rooker will also be seen early next year on Blumhouse/Sony’s Fantasy Island, Paramount/21 Laps’ Monster Problems, and Amazon/MRC’s The Dark Tower pilot.

Fast Franchise Gets Back on Track With Fast & Furious 9

Rooker’s addition to the Fast & Furious 9 reunites him with Guardians of the Galaxy co-star Vin Diesel who provided the voice of Groot. But before Rooker, Fast & Furious 9 also added UFC fighter Francis Ngannou to the cast. However, his role remains under wraps. A few other new additions to the film for mysterious roles are pro wrestling superstar John Cena and Animal Kingdom star Finn Cole. Alums Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez will all be returning for the prequel. Other Fast alums Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham who starred in the spinoff film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbie & Shaw will unfortunately not be joining this film.

The last installment to the franchise was 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, the first Fast film after Paul Walker’s death. According to Entertainment Weekly, Fast & Furious 9 is set to premiere on May 22, 2020, as it made way for Hobbs & Shaw. Justin Lin is back to direct. And he is set to work with Daniel Casey who’s taking over screenwriting duties from Hobbs & Shaw writer Chris Morgan.

In addition, the Fast franchise has already made plans for after Fast 9. In fact, Fast & Furious 10 is already in the works. Hobbs & Shaw has an upcoming animated show on Netflix and is being eyed for sequels. A female spin-off film is also being planned as well as a Tej and Roman spin-off.