Vin Diesel Teases Fast X Returning Two Fan Favorite Franchise Characters?
Vin Diesel shared a photo on Instagram with the two actors behind Tego Leo and Rico Santos, fan favorite characters that have appeared in four previous films.
Vin Diesel has some big plans for the final two films in the Fast and Furious franchise (including trying to get Robert Downey Jr. on board). Could those big plans also mean bringing Tego Leo (Tego Calderón) and Rico Santos (Don Omar) back for one last ride? His latest Instagram post sure makes it seem likely:
Fans of the high-octane franchise will remember that Leo and Rico first appeared in 2009’s Fast & Furious and then starred in the short film Los Bandoleros. The characters also appeared in Fast Five, The Fate of the Furious, and F9: The Fast Saga. With all of the characters taking their final bow in the upcoming Fast X and the eleventh film, it would certainly make sense for Vin Diesel to bring these two back.
It’s unclear if Leo and Rico will appear in Fast X at this point, but perhaps Vin Diesel is teasing that they could show up in the follow-up film that will end the mainline franchise. Fast X already has many spinning plates to balance, so it would make sense if they held off on bringing Leo and Rico back right away. Still, even a cameo would please long-time fans, as these two comedic characters are always a welcome sight in the franchise.
No matter what, Fast X is going to have a ton of new and returning characters. Along with Vin Diesel, the film is bringing back Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Michael Rooker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jason Statham, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Scott Eastwood, Cardi B, and Charlize Theron. Jason Momoa will also be joining the cast as the villainous Dante.
Other newcomers to the franchise include Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Alan Ritchson, and Daniela Melchior. With these many big names on the cast list, it’s already going to be difficult for them to balance the story with the action and provide satisfying resolutions for some of the characters. Adding Leo and Rico to the character list could make things even more complicated.
Fast X sees Vin Diesel’s Dom going up against Jason Momoa’s Dante, who is looking for revenge after the Fast crew took out his father in a previous movie. Dante is going after Dom’s son, so it’s obviously going to get pretty personal (insert Fast and Furious ‘family’ meme). The overly long trailer is ramping up the hype and showing us that we can expect plenty of action, family, and fast cars — as we’ve come to expect from the franchise.
Fast X is directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Justin Lin, Zach Dean, and Dan Mazeau. Leterrier replaced Lin, who left the directing job during the first week of filming. Lin did, however, stay on as a producer along with Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Samantha Vincent.
Fast X is set to hit theaters on May 19, so we’ll find out if Leo and Rico are getting a cameo this Spring. The sequel, intended to be the final entry to the series, is currently in development. Stay tuned for more news on Fast X and Vin Diesel’s upcoming projects.
