Fast & Furious 9: Star spotted sightseeing ahead of filming in Edinburgh

HOLLYWOOD star Ludacris took time out from filming the latest Fast & Furious blockbuster to take in the sights of Edinburgh.
Ludacris posted his sightseeing trip on InstagramLudacris posted his sightseeing trip on Instagram
Ludacris posted his sightseeing trip on Instagram

The actor and rapper, real name Chris Bridges, posted for a photo on Instagram while posing in front of the Scott Monument.

Fellow cast members are in the Capital filming the ninth outing for the popular street-racing franchise.

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"The Fast & Furious franchise has invaded Scotland," Ludacris posted with the image.

The star was filming on Sunday morning in Parliament SquareThe star was filming on Sunday morning in Parliament Square
The star was filming on Sunday morning in Parliament Square

Photos also emerged of the star, who plays Tej Parker in the series, set dressing ahead of filming in Parliament Square this morning.

Fast 9, starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson alongside Ludacris, began filming in the city last week ahead of the film's release next year.

Waterloo Place has been closed in its entirety except for local access from Regent Road to Calton Hill from Monday morning until 10pm on Thursday, September 12.

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Calton Road is also set to shut from Calton Hill to the entrance of Waverley Gate Gate car park until 10pm on the same date.

Filming for the newest chapter in the series, which will also feature Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, Dame Helen Mirren and John Cena, will involve nearly 800 crew members and has been billed as "one of the largest and most complex shoots ever" to film in Edinburgh's historic Old and New towns.

Local residents and businesses have already been contacted by letter from FF9 Productions Ltd with details of the timetable.

The leaflet explained the scenes being shot in the capital involve "vehicles travelling at speed" as the reason for roads being completely closed.

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Director Justin Lin said: “Edinburgh is such a unique and iconic location and we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to celebrate it in the Fast & Furious saga."

"The support from all local agencies, businesses and the community has been invaluable in helping to coordinate this shoot. We appreciate the entire city’s help and are excited to have such a beautiful and historic city in the film.”

Filming for Fast and Furious spin off Hobbs and Shaw - starring Jason Statham and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - took place in Glasgow last year.

Rosie Ellison, head of Film Edinburgh, added: “Following our involvement with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, we could demonstrate that the city has the ability to host such a large-scale production but were nonetheless thrilled when the Fast & Furious filmmakers confirmed that Edinburgh had been chosen as a filming location for the next outing of this hugely popular franchise."

"We will continue to work closely with the production to ensure its smooth-running of the location shoot across the city.”

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