Fast X Director Explains Creating The Standout Villain
Fast X director Louis Leterrier explains what led to the creation of Jason Momoa’s standout villain, Dante Reyes. Dante de Momoa is the son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), the evil drug lord killed in Fast Five. Fast X focuses on Dante pursuing the Dom family for revenge, doing so in a fun but violent manner. Dante’s path to revenge led to Fast X’s dramatic ending, which saw the lives of several characters suspended. Speaking with ComicBook.com, Leterrier opens up about how much Momoa influenced Dante’s characterization in Fast X. Leterrier indicates crafting Dante was a collaborative experience between him and Momoa, the actor himself having a major part to play in how Dante was written. Check out what Leterrier has to say below:
It’s like pushing it, realizing that we have the same sense of humor and sensitivity about movies and characters, and that the greatest villains are also the most anthropomorphic and interesting. [Threat] comes from humour, and humor comes from danger, and just having those switches made us realize that we had something in common. And then we started working, we started rehearsing, we started coming up with new dialogue and new scenes – frankly, whole scenes for his character. But it’s Jason, I can’t do that to anyone other than Jason. Whoever Dante is is a Bizarro version of Jason Momoa. Jason Momoa is violent, angry, and spoiled. Jason drives 1938 Bentleys, builds these motorcycles, and has silk scarves and all that. You just take this and push it a bit, and then you have Dante.
Why Dante Is A Formidable Fast & Furious Villain
Dante is a dangerous villain in Fast X, whose supply is almost limitless which he uses to exact revenge on Dom and his family. At the end of Fast X, Dante’s actions lead to Jakob Toretto (John Cena) sacrificing himself to save Dom. That’s when Roman, Tej, Ramsey and Han were shot by the traitor Aimes, leaving their fates until Fast & Furious 11. Given the destruction caused by Dante in Fast X, it doesn’t look like he’ll stop at nothing to destroy Dom’s family. This makes him a formidable opponent that won’t go away anytime soon. In particular, the Fast X post-credits scene reveals that the next step in Dante’s plan is to target Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). This means that Fast X will lead into the events of the upcoming Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Reyes, which will continue the story of Dante’s revenge through Hobbs’ perspective. Given the danger Dante faces and his sense of humour, it looks like he’ll be an interesting Fast & Furious villain when Fast & Furious comes to an end. However, with the possibility of Fast & Furious 12 still ahead, Momoa could play Dante for a long time to come. No doubt, Momoa will maintain the same energy for Dante in the Fast X sequels as he did in the Fast & Furious tenth.