Major spoilers follow for Fast X!
Fast X director Louis Leterrier has opened up about those shocking cameos and moments in the latest entry in the Fast & Furious saga.
Speaking to THR, Leterrier was asked about the surprising mid-credits scene that confirmed Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs has returned to the franchise after previously stating there was "no chance" he would after his feud with Vin Diesel.
"The peace treaty … I kind of did," Leterrier answered with a laugh when asked who brokered the peace treaty between the two actors. "We all did. Ultimately, the movie did. I didn’t know Dwayne, personally, but we reached out to Dwayne and Dwayne’s team. We sort of looked at each other from across the room and winked a few months back, saying, 'We should work together.' And then I had this idea and I presented it to the producers and the studio. And then we reached out to Dwayne and his team and said, 'Just come and watch the movie. You have to love the movie first.' So he came to see the movie and really loved it, and then we started talking.
"It was very smooth, and frankly, as a fan, I could not conceive continuing the franchise without either Dwayne or Gal Gadot. This franchise was built by actors and characters. The set pieces are wonderful. They keep you entertained and keep you shoving popcorn in your mouth, but the characters make this franchise what it is."
Speaking of Gal Gadot, her character Gisele Yashar's return was also a huge surprise as she seemingly died at the end of Fast & Furious 6. The Fast & Furious franchise is obviously no stranger to bringing characters back after they were presumed dead like Han, but that didn't make her appearance any less shocking.
While he wasn't ready to reveal anything about how Gisele returned and was able to save Letty and Cipher with her submarine in Antarctica, he did confirm they did bring her on set for the cameo and that he is so happy she is back.
"I was on the set with her," Leterrier said. "I was lucky enough to see Gal Gadot and give her a big hug and a thank you at the end of the shoot. That was a highlight for me. I was lucky enough to direct one commercial with her, and I saw the power of Gal Gadot for 30 seconds. So, now that I get to not only work with her but also bring back Gisele into the franchise, I’m the happiest fan in the world."
Lastly, Leterrier spoke on the twisted scene where Jason Momoa's Dante was talking to two of his dead henchmen and painting their nails. While he confirmed it was a polarizing choice and was originally thought to be a DVD extra or part of a director's cut, it ended up being too good to pass up putting it in the final cut.
"No, it was never controversial, but it is a very polarizing scene," Leterrier said. "It was not scripted. We wanted more of Jason Momoa’s Dante, so we improvised a little bit more. We wanted to see Dante when he is not peacocking. We wanted to see Dante behind closed doors and realize that he is really twisted. It’s not just an act.
"So we shot that scene, but we thought it would be a DVD extra at best or in the director’s cut version later down the road. So we started testing the movie without it, and then we started testing the movie with that scene. And the audience went crazy for it. Some were angry and some loved it. It was all so different. And frankly, it was the studio’s Donna Langley who watched the scene and said, 'I love it. I love the insanity of that scene.' And so she gave us the OK."
For more, check out our Fast X review, how the film performed in its opening weekend, and why we think Fast X blew the one job it had to get right.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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