The Fast & the Furious' life in theaters has been a fascinating one, and is showing no signs of slowing down. While the franchise began with standard racing movies, it's grown into one of the biggest and most profitable action properties in the business. New ground was recently broken with David Leitch's Hobbs & Shaw, the first standalone movie that helped further expand the cinematic universe. Writer Chris Morgan recently spoke about the campaign #JusticeForHan: Deckard Shaw's murder of Tokyo Drift character Han. But his comments go him in hot water with none other than Letty actress Michelle Rodriguez.
Chris Morgan claimed that Han's death would be addressed in a future Fast & Furious movie, and Michelle Rodriguez took to social media to rebuff these claims. She maintains that the writer doesn't have control over the overarching narrative of the long-running property. Check out her comments below.
Well, that's one way to shut down a rumor. Chris Morgan has involved in the Fast & the Furious franchise for years, writing nearly every single installment, including the iconic original and Hobbs & Shaw. What's more, he's also been an executive producer on every movie starting with Fast & Furious 6. Still, Michelle Rodriguez maintains that he's not in charge of the property's story, and that she's been involved the property for longer.
Michelle Rodriguez's Letty has been major character in the property, and was even given a fake death throughout the course of her long tenure in in the Fast & Furious movies. She, along with all of the main cast, was absent during the threequel Tokyo Drift, where the mythology of Han comes into play.
It seems the actress is in deeper talks about the future of the Fast & Furious than Chris Morgan, and is privy to if/how Han and Shaw's plot line will be handled in a future blockbuster. Michelle Rodriguez' influence and voice within the franchise was shown recently when she campaigned for more dynamic female stories. Rodriguez was willing to put her job on the line to make this happen, and it seems she was happy with how things are moving forward with Fast 9 with a new female writer.
After making her thoughts clear on Twitter, Michelle Rodriguez went on to congratulate Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson on the preliminary success of Hobbs & Shaw, saying she's trying to avoid the "petty." As she put it:
The Fast & Furious franchise hasn't been shown to be above a celebrity feud or two, and Michelle Rodriguez's comments regarding Chris Morgan aren't quite as intense as some of the other famous online scuffles between cast members. What's more, all things appear to be moving forward with Fast 9, although the fate of Han's narrative is unclear.
Michelle Rodriguez's tweets were in response to Chris Morgan's previous comments about the #Justice4Han campaign that has been floating around since Deckard Shaw became a good guy. The longtime writer/producer was quoted, saying:
I love ‘justice for Han.’ Sung Kang is a great friend, and Han is a character that I adore. I would say that the super-arc for Deckard Shaw is going to be one of the most interesting, cool, rewarding character arcs in the franchise. Justice for Han is owed. It’s something we have discussed for a very long time and want to give the right due to. I think the audience will be satisfied and should know it’s coming. There’s a line in Hobbs & Shaw that is right before the battle in Samoa where Shaw says to his sister, ‘There’s things I’ve done that I have to make amends for.’ That line was specifically written and put in there just to let everyone know that he is talking about Han — it is on his mind. It tortures him, and he’s going to get to it.
Related: The Final Two Fast And Furious Movies Will Bring In Han, Here’s What We Know
Chris Morgan's words gave encouragement to the fans, who have been waiting to see Shaw make amends for murdering Han. The character's first appearance in Fast & Furious 6 revealed that Jason Statham's character was responsible for the car wreck that killed Han back in Tokyo Drift. It was an epic cameo, and established the character as a clear villain.
But after going to war with The Family throughout a few movies, he's since become an ally to the group. He further cemented his status as a good guy in Hobbs & Shaw. Because despite trading insults with his muscled co-star throughout the blockbuster, Shaw fought on the side of good during his spinoff. And depending on the movie's performance, he could end up leading a bonafide franchise of his own.
Michelle Rodriguez' beef with Chris Morgan's comments isn't the first time drama has come from the cast/crew of the Fast & Furious franchises. Families fight, and that's exactly what has been seen in the past. Aside from Rodriguez recently threatening to quit the franchise, Tyrese Gibson also had a long standing feud with Dwayne Johnson. The issue came from Hobbs & Shaw's development.
Gibson's Roman Pearce wasn't needed for David Leitch's spinoff, so Tyrese Gibson naturally wasn't part of the cast. The studio's focus on the spinoff pushed back the filming and release of Fast & The Furious 9, which is what Tyrese Gibson took umbrage with. This delay meant that most of the cast would have to wait for the next big payday, with Gibson maintaining he needed to provide with his family. While The Rock largely stayed silent, Tyrese Gibson regularly took to social media to make his feelings known.
Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Morgan are both attached to Fast & The Furious 9, which is in the midst of filming. That movie is currently set to arrive in theaters on May 22, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
