'Fast & Furious 9' director says his 9-year-old came up with the movie's thrilling 'magnet plane' stunt using toy cars
- Justin Lin says his 9-year-old son Oqwe figured out the "magnet car" stunt in the "F9" trailer.
- Lin was at a meeting and Oqwe was playing with toy cars when inspiration struck.
- "Oqwe just picked it up and pitched the idea of the plane and everything," Lin told Empire.
The "Fast and Furious" family mantra isn't just a major part of what we see on screen - it's happening behind the camera as well.
In "F9," the upcoming latest chapter in the successful franchise, the increasingly elaborate car stunts are once more jacked up another level, this time featuring a trip to space and a "magnet car."
It turns out the latter was pulled off with the help of director Justin Lin's 9-year-old son.
One of the most thrilling scenes featured in the movie's trailer has Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in one car and Dom's long-lost brother Jakob (John Cena) in another. The sequence ends with Jakob driving over a ravine and being picked up mid-air by a giant plane, piloted by returning villain Cipher (Charlize Theron).
The director, who returned to the franchise for "Fast 9" after previously helming movies three through six, told Empire about how his son, Oqwe, was the one who figured out how the car would get on the plane. Enter: "magnet car."
"We were talking about the ravine [set-piece] and I said, 'Alright... Jakob needs to get to the other side - how does he get there?' And Oqwe just picked it up and pitched the idea of the plane and everything," he continued. "After us spending hundreds of hours on planning, I guess he was paying attention, and he understood the characters."
Yes, the "Fast" franchise is filled with stunts, but as this shows, it also has a whole lot of unique behind-the-scenes stories.
We can't wait to learn more as we near the release of "F9," which hits theaters June 25.