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Whoa?! Alan Ritchson Says Keanu Reeves Was Originally Cast to Play Aimes in Fast X
There's still two more opportunities to bring Reeves into the Fast family.
The Fast & Furious movies clearly have no trouble attracting A-list talent (Fast X alone boasts a total of four Academy Award winners), but there are still plenty of white whales out there. Keanu Reeves, for instance, has eluded the franchise twice now.
He was originally going to make a brief voiceover cameo in the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff before plans ultimately fell through. According to Alan Ritchson, the John Wick star was courted yet again to play acting Agency Director Aimes in Fast X (now playing in theaters). The good news, however, is that Reeves still has plenty of opportunities to join the Fast Saga in the next two movies or any other spinoffs.
**SPOILER WARNING! The following contains major spoilers for Fast X!**
RELATED: Vin Diesel On Those Surprise Cameos in Fast X: "Both of Them Clearly Make People Happy"
How Alan Ritchson came to play Aimes in Fast X
"It was just a little stroke of luck and good timing," Ritchson revealed during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly. "I was working on a movie [director Jon Gunn's Ordinary Angels] 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. Tough act to follow."
But even then, the gig wasn't assured due to inclement 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," the Reacher alum continued. "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."
Not long after, Ritchson received a phone call from producer Jeff Kirschenbaum, who sounded a little subdued. Assuming he was about to be fired off the project, the actor dispensed with the formalities, though he ultimately had nothing to worry about.
"I was like, 'Oh, God. Whatever you've got to say, just say it. I can take it. I'm a big boy.' He goes, 'You're not going to be working with [director] Justin [Lin] on this.' I was like, 'Okay ... am I still in the movie?' , "He was like, 'Yeah, of course. We're excited to work with you, but we've decided to go our separate ways with Justin.' I was like, 'Okay, you can just say that next time!' So I'm very grateful that it worked out."
With Kurt Russell's Mr. Nobody in the wind, Aimes takes control of The Agency, which attempts to apprehend Dom and his family after Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) frames our heroes by detonating a bomb in Rome. While he initially seems to be molded in the same vein as the gruff, yet good-hearted, Luke Hobbs, Aimes ultimately reveals himself to be in league with Reyes.
Fast X is now playing in theaters everywhere. The film opened at the top of the box office this past weekend with a global haul of $319 million (the third-best worldwide debut of the entire franchise). Click here to pick up tickets for yourself and the whole family!
Relive a small portion of the Fast Saga with Furious 7 — now streaming now on Peacock. If you want to catch up on the full story, however, click right here for our nifty guide on where to stream the first nine installments (plus Hobbs & Shaw).
