While the mainline series will supposedly end with Fast & Furious 10, the Fast franchise may live on after that. Much like its protagonist, Dominic "Dom" Toretto, the Fast & Furious movies have come a long ways from humble beginnings. What started as a Point Break-esque action-thriller about illegal street racing (one now marvelously dated by its late 1990s/early 2000s sensibilities) has evolved into a series of globe-trotting heist movies and crime capers. In addition to being a money-making machine, the property has earned the respect of critics for its ability to combine ludicrous action sequences with unabashedly corny, yet sincere and touching messages about family and brotherhood.
Nothing lasts forever, though, and for years the plan has been to end the central Fast & Furious films with Fast & Furious 10. Star and producer Vin Diesel confirmed those plans as recently as February, just prior to Fast & Furious 9 being delayed from its original release date in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to teasing the possibility of Fast & Furious 10 being a two-parter, he also hinted at the larger property's future, saying " it would be nice for this world to continue for generations to come.”
With Dominic Toretto's story winding down, the Fast franchise is already shifting its focus to spinoffs. The first such film, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, hit theaters in 2019, with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprising their roles as DSS agent Luke Hobbs and mercenary Deckard Shaw. Diesel has also confirmed progress is being made on a women-led Fast & Furious spinoff, with Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess is a Loser), Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider), and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) all involved as writers. He's hinted at other spinoffs beyond that in the past, but has yet to share any information about what they would entail.
Critically, Hobbs and Shaw was praised for its exhilarating action scenes (courtesy of John Wick and Deadpool 2 co-director David Leitch) and leads' buddy-comedy chemistry, but criticized for being in a rush to set up an entire sub-franchise around Johnson and Statham. It was also seen as another step away from the series' origins as a saga about outlaws bonding across the barriers of race and culture, and not in a good way. Still, it took in over a quarter of a billion dollars, and Johnson has since confirmed development on Hobbs & Shaw 2 is well underway. The Rock has further hinted at his return to the mainline films for Fast & Furious 10, having (at least, in public) buried the hatchet with Diesel following their much-publicized clash during the making of The Fate of the Furious.
For now, it's unclear when the women-led spinoff would release in relation to Hobbs & Shaw 2 and Fast & Furious 10. There are multiple established characters the film could focus on, including Fast & Furious staples Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mia (Jordana Brewster), along with more recent additions like Nathalie Emmanuel's hacktivist Ramsey. There've even been discussions about a spinoff centered on Charlize Theron as the cyberterrorist Cipher, following her introduction in Fate of the Furious and return in next year's Fast & Furious 9. However, it's unclear if this would be the same as the women-led Fast & Furious project or another movie entirely.
The question is whether the Fast franchise can continue to thrive after Fast & Furious 10 without the core team it's formed over the last decade (including, Dom, Letty, Roman, Mia, Tej, and Ramsey). Fate of the Furious has already raised doubts about the series' ability to carry on after retiring the late Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Connor, during Furious 7, and it remains to be seen how Fast & Furious 9 handles Han's return following his apparent death. Similarly, Hobbs and Shaw laid the groundwork for a new team in its sequel, but there's a risk audiences won't take to them the way they have to Dom's extended family. For those reasons, it's probably best the minds behind the franchise take things one quarter-mile at a time, lest they get ahead of themselves.
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