For the blockbusting Fast & Furious franchise, the end of the road is in sight. That's because the final two Fast & Furious movies have been announced, with regular director Justln Lin at the helm.
Of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Film #9 hasn't even reached us yet, delayed as it is by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast & Furious 9 has now shifted from April 2020 to the 24th of June 2021 (at the time of writing), and will re-assert Vin Diesel's ace carjacker Dominic Toretto as the official face of the series. The ninth movie comes after a detour in the form of Hobbs & Shaw, which showcased side characters Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).
Given Diesel and Johnson's much-publicised falling out during the making of Fast & Furious 8, it remains to be seen if they'll share screentime again. Nevertheless, Deadline reports that the plan is to round up every prior cast member from the series for a gargantuan final blowout. The news that Lin is back will please the fans; he's steered all but two of the movies, having honed the shift from street racing bonanzas to full-blown heist-on-wheels epics.
Fast & Furious is now Universal's most successful franchise, with the most recent movie (directed by F. Gary Gray) having taken $1.2 billion worldwide. Together with Hobbs & Shaw, the combined box office total for the series is a staggering $5.7 billion, just pipping Jurassic Park/Jurassic World (also Universal properties) to the post. The series faced a major setback following the death of star Paul Walker midway through Fast & Furious 7 (helmed by James Wan); the actor's brothers were used as stand-ins to give Walker's character Brian O'Conner a fair send-off.
The ninth entry in the series pits Toretto against his long-lost brother Jakob, played by Bumblebee's John Cena. The gang's all back: Michelle Rodriguez' Letty, Tyrese Gibson's Roman, Ludacris' Tej, Jordana Brewster's Mia, Nathalie Emmanuel's Ramsey, Helen Mirren's Magdalene, Sung Kang's Han and Charlize Theron's Cipher will all feature. It's due to hit us on 28th May 2021 (pandemic conditions pending).
Excited/saddened by the news of two final Fast & Furious movies? Let us know @Cineworld.
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