Dominic Toretto and his crew have been the mainstays of the Fast & Furious films for over a decade now, but Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw have managed to carve out their own place in the automobile-driven franchise. Their recent spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw, was met with solid reviews and box office success. With this, it was only matter of time before talk of a sequel arrived, and Dwayne Johnson has now provided the confirmation:
We are developing now the next film, the next movie, and I'm pretty excited about it. [We] just gotta figure out the creative right now, and the direction we’re going to go.
Dwayne Johnson announced the news during one of his recent Instagram Q&A's (via Screen Rant). Early conversations regarding a potential sequel were already said to be happening, but Johnson’s comments seem to signify that the project has indeed been greenlit by Universal.
Hobbs & Shaw followed Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw after the events of 2017’s The Fate of the Furious. In the film, the two are forced to team up to take down Idris Elba’s Brixton, a cyber-genetically enhanced terrorist. Along the way, the heroes also join forces with Deckard’ MI6 Agent sister Hattie, played by Vanessa Kirby.
Even though the movie presented a relatively self-contained story set within the Fast & Furious universe, the door was left open for a sequel. One of the film’s biggest mysteries revolves around the series’ true antagonist. This character, known simply as The Director, serves as the head of Eteon, the company that employed Brixton’s services.
Universal’s decision to expand on one of its most popular brands is understandable, and it’s become clear that Hobbs & Shaw is being positioned to carry the Fast & Furious torch once the main series ends with its tenth installment.
Aside from Hobbs & Shaw, other spinoffs in the Fast series have also been discussed. The one that’s gained the most traction is a female-led feature. Franchise star and producer Vin Diesel recently confirmed that the project is moving forward and that he’ll get to see a first draft of the script soon. In addition, an animated TV show based on the series is set to hit Netflix this year.
Despite things moving forward, the drive hasn’t been completely smooth for the series as of late. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Universal opted to delay the latest installment -- F9 -- from its May 2020 release date to April 2021.
With the Fast & Furious franchise shifting gears, the Hobbs & Shaw sequel and the female-headed spinoff will likely be the first of many FF big-screen projects Universal will consider for its slate. And these should ensure that the spy, heist, and muscle car-filled franchise will be around for years to come. Fans can see F9 when it hits theaters on April 2, 2021.
