'Fast and Furious 9' event in China cancelled after Universal Pictures receives threats

A major Fast and Furious 9 event that was scheduled to take place in China was cancelled by Universal Pictures due to major security concerns. The company had planned a press conference for the Fast and Furious 9 cast on Tuesday before the movie's release. They took to their official Weibo account, a Chinese microblogging site, to confirm the news. 

Universal Pictures cancels major Fast and Furious 9 event in China over security concerns

The statement read, "Currently, Universal Pictures received threats that would make it impossible for us to hold the press conference and could cause considerable security risks." They explained that while all the efforts put into the arrangement of the event were appreciated, they could not conduct the event due to the major security risk. "Security will always be our top priority. As a result, after careful evaluation, Universal Pictures was forced to cancel the press conference for Fast and Furious 9", they wrote.

The company further added that the threats received were reported to the police officials in China. The company also let fans know that the movie would be released on Friday, May 21, 2021, as scheduled. The event, which would take place in Shanghai, China, was supposed to give fans a sneak peek into the movie's energetic and thrilling car-chasing scenes.

Fast and Furious 9 release date  

The movie will be released internationally for its audience in June 2021. In the United States of America, Fast and Furious 9 will be released on June 25, 2021, and will make its world premiere in South Korea on May 19, 2021. Fast and Furious 9 movie is helmed by Justin Lin who is also a part of the panel of producers with Vin Diesel, Neal H Moritz, Joe Roth, Clayton Townsend, Samantha Vincent, and Jeff Kirschenbaum. The movie is bankrolled by Original Films, One Race Films with Roth/Kirschenbaum Films. 

Fast and Furious 9 cast will see many of the star cast members reprising their roles including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Sean Boswell, Jason Tobin and Tyrese Gibson. The film will see actor Charlize Theron in a negative role, playing the mastermind antagonist named Cipher. Other cast members include John Cena, Cardi B, Anna Sawai, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren and many others. 

• Image: Vin Diesel's Instagram