The 2023 movie in the action-adventure franchise Fast X is expected to be the initiative toward the conclusion of its decades-long journey. While nothing is confirmed yet, the lead star of the series, Vin Diesel, has also stated that the series will come to an end in the near future. With the tenth installment in the series leaving fans with a cliffhanger, there have been many discussions on what the future movies would have in store.

Fast X
Dwayne Johnson, who claimed that he would not return to the franchise, is expected to reprise his character as Luke Hobbs in the next film. However, according to a cast member of the film series, the 2023 movie could have had more surprises for fans, as it was also expected to star the Oscar winner Denzel Washington.

Denzel Washington Was Expected to Star in Fast X

Denzel Washington is one of the highly acclaimed actors in Hollywood. The 68-year-old actor has several honors to his name, including a Tony Award and two Academy Awards. His capacity to fit in any role and genre has made him one of the biggest names in the film industry.
Denzel Washington
And according to the Fast X star Sung Kang, the award-winning actor almost starred in the tenth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. Kang, who joined the series with the 2006 movie, revealed during an interview that The Equalizer star was in talks to star in the 2021 film F9.

“There was talk that Denzel Washington was going to be in our film,” he shared. F9 introduced John Cena as Dominic Toretto’s estranged brother, Jakob Toretto. And Kang revealed that the movie was also expected to feature the Fences star as his father. “I think he was initially maybe going to play Vin’s dad or something like that?” Kang said.
F9 (2021)
He also added that he loves him and would have loved to work with a legendary actor like him. After he did not join the film series with the 2021 film, it was believed that he might make an appearance in Fast X. Although it has not happened so far, the franchise still has another movie in line.

Denzel Washington Turned Down a Fast & Furious Offer

While Sung Kang claimed that Denzel Washington was expected to star in F9, there have been reports saying that the actor turned down the offer to star in the franchise years before. With the intention of adding new names to the franchise, the makers approached to cast the Flight star for Furious 7.
Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Some reports claim that he was offered to star as Mr. Nobody (portrayed by Kurt Russell) in the 2015 movie. However, a Deadline report claims that the actor was offered a small role in Fast & Furious 6 with having a major part in the following movies. Considering this, many also believe that he was approached for the role of Deckard Shaw, portrayed by Jason Statham.

Statham made a small appearance in the sixth installment and had a major role in the following movies of the franchise. Regardless of the role, Washington reportedly was not interested in joining the action-adventure film series and turned down the offer.

Source: Screen Rant