Vin Diesel poses for snaps with longtime costar Tyrese Gibson as the dynamic duo grace the long-awaited premiere of F9: The Fast Saga in LA

  • The premiere for the long-delayed Fast & Furious sequel F9 was held on Friday in Hollywood at the iconic Chinese Theatre
  • Fans won't be able to see the action film until June 25, nearly a year after its first scheduled release date of May 22, 2020
  • F9 has been delayed several times during 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, though falling Covid-19 cases have allowed studios to feel more confident about finally releasing it in theaters 

The long-awaited premiere of F9: The Fast Saga was held in-person at the famed TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Leading the festivities were two of the Fast & Furious series' most identifiable stars: series lead Vin Diesel, 53, and longtime supporting player Tyrese Gibson, 42.

The costars and old pals looked affectionate as they grinned ear-to-ear and hugged on the red carpet.

Old friends: Vin Diesel, 53, and his longtime Fast & Furious costar Tyrese Gibson, 42, looked totally buddied up on Friday as they attended the long-delayed F9 premiere in Hollywood

Old friends: Vin Diesel, 53, and his longtime Fast & Furious costar Tyrese Gibson, 42, looked totally buddied up on Friday as they attended the long-delayed F9 premiere in Hollywood

Vin looked dapper in a stylish black suit covered in a textured floral pattern.

He dressed down the otherwise formal suit with a casual black shirt and a set of chunky black boots, along with aviator sunglasses.

Tyrese also looked dapper in black thanks to his waffle-textured tuxedo jacket with wide lapels.

The singer, rapper and model channeled classic style with a large black bowtie and a cummerbund over his waist, though he spiced up his pants with white stripes down the sides of the legs and added some luster with his patent leather shoes.

Standing out: Vin looked dapper in a stylish black suit covered in a textured floral pattern

Standing out: Vin looked dapper in a stylish black suit covered in a textured floral pattern

He and Vin looked as if they couldn't get enough of each other as they embraced in front of the crowd.

They were also joined by castmates Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Charlize Theron and more.

Other notable attendees included late star Paul Walker's daughter Meadow Walker, TV host Maria Menounos, Bow Wow, the late Kobe Bryant's wife and Vanessa Bryant and model daughter Natalia, Vegas showman Jeff Beacher, Aussie model Francesca Hung, and Ludacris's pregnant wife Eudoxie Mbouguiengue, singer 24kGoldn and franchise director Justin Lin

Although Vin made his first appearance as Dominic Toretto in the series with the original The Fast And The Furious (2001), he wouldn't appear with Tyrese onscreen until 2011's Fast Five.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy actor sat out the second entry in the series, 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, where the singer and model made his debut as Roman alongside the late Paul Walker.

Back in black: He dressed down the otherwise formal suit with a casual black shirt and a set of chunky black boots, along with aviator sunglasses

Back in black: He dressed down the otherwise formal suit with a casual black shirt and a set of chunky black boots, along with aviator sunglasses

Classic style: Tyrese also looked dapper in black thanks to his waffle-textured tuxedo jacket with wide lapels

Classic style: Tyrese also looked dapper in black thanks to his waffle-textured tuxedo jacket with wide lapels

After the Japan-set spinoff Tokyo Drift in 2006, Vin returned to the fold with 2009's Fast & Furious, which took the series away from its drag-racing origins and onto its current action–espionage path.

Tyrese rejoined the series in  Fast Five, and the two actors have been solid parts of the franchise ever since.

In the newest film, Dom is in conflict with his brother Jakob (John Cena) who has been out of his life for decades following the death of their father.

Pals: He and Vin looked as if they couldn't get enough of each other as they embraced in front of the crowd

Pals: He and Vin looked as if they couldn't get enough of each other as they embraced in front of the crowd

Long time coming: Although Vin made his first appearance as Dominic Toretto in the series with the original The Fast And The Furious (2001), he wouldn't appear with Tyrese onscreen until 2011's Fast Five

Long time coming: Although Vin made his first appearance as Dominic Toretto in the series with the original The Fast And The Furious (2001), he wouldn't appear with Tyrese onscreen until 2011's Fast Five

After the villain Cipher (Charlize Theron) is captured, Dom learns that the plane she was aboard has been hijacked by his brother, forcing him to track down a member of his own family. 

Earlier this month, Vin shared an emotional tribute to his late costar Paul Walker, who died in 2013 after crashing his car.

Along with a youthful photo of himself and Paul, he wrote, 'Weeks away from the F9 release... in preproduction for the finale that starts only months from now...

'@meadowwalker sends me this image and tells me how happy the photo makes her feel,' he continued.

'Naturally, one gets filled with emotion, purpose and ultimately gratitude. Eternal brotherhood is a blessing beyond words. Hope to make you proud... All love, Always.'

Emotional: Earlier this month, Vin shared an emotional tribute to his late costar Paul Walker, who died in 2013 after crashing his car, after his daughter Meadow Walker sent him a photo featuring Paul

Emotional: Earlier this month, Vin shared an emotional tribute to his late costar Paul Walker, who died in 2013 after crashing his car, after his daughter Meadow Walker sent him a photo featuring Paul

Earlier this week, Vin shared that the series might leave open a part for Paul's daughter Meadow while chatting with E! News' Daily Pop.

Though he wouldn't get into specifics, he said they 'would not count anything out. Let me just — without giving you all of the secrets of Fast 10. Let's just say nothing's ruled out.'

Even though the premiere was held on Friday, fans of F9 will still have to wait until June 25 to see it in theaters across the country, almost a year after the film's originally scheduled release date of May 22, 2020.

The action film's release has been delayed several times throughout 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Now that Covid-19 cases have begun to significantly decrease in the US due to increased vaccinations, Universal has decided that it's safe enough to release the movie in theaters.

The film was released in international markets where the virus has been more under control last month, leaving the US in the odd position of being last to see the film. 

Guest apperance? Earlier this week, he shared that the series might leave open a part for Paul's daughter Meadow while chatting with E! News' Daily Pop

Guest apperance? Earlier this week, he shared that the series might leave open a part for Paul's daughter Meadow while chatting with E! News' Daily Pop

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