We live in a crossover world. Studios that own multiple properties look for way to synergize their brands, some of which has been inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and some that’s just triggered by cool team-up ideas like the multiverse pairings that happen on The CW shows based on DC characters. The Fast & Furious films haven’t seen crossover so much as they have inspired spinoffs -- see both Hobbs (The Rock) and Shaw (Jason Statham) in the aptly titled Hobbs & Shaw. But if F9 star Michelle Rodriguez gets her way, the Jurassic World franchise could see itself dodging fast cars in a future film.
Michelle Rodriguez appeared at an exclusive press conference alongside F9 co-stars Vin Diesel and John Cena this week to discuss the upcoming sequel, and the future of the franchise. To be fair, the cast was asked about a possible Jurassic World crossover by a journalist, noting that both franchises belong to Universal. But it was Rodriguez who seemed the most enthusiastic about the idea of dinosaurs in the Fast & Furious universe, exclaiming:
I love it, dude! I’m all in! We were talking about this yesterday. It's so funny, but I was talking about this yesterday. Because once you reach a certain pinnacle, there's nowhere to go but to cross-brand and merge. It’s what big corporations do with each other when they get too big, you know what I mean? You just have to brand and merge with each other. But the only thing standing in the way is lawyers, and studios. Because usually the brands that you're trying to merge belong to different studios or whatever. But if it's under the same umbrella? I don't know. I'm just saying it works.
Technically, Michelle Rodriguez is right. The two brands are with the same studio, and they both are actively producing sequels. They’re both set in a contemporary timeline, though there has never been any indication that they exist in a shared universe. But now that it has been said aloud, it’s basically all I can think about.
Thankfully F9 director Justin Lin was at the press conference to throw cold water on the idea of a franchise crossover by saying… oh, wait, what? He didn’t shoot it down? In fact, he encouraged it?! Lin added:
Well, I’ll never say never to anything. And the fact that part of our philosophy is not to ever be boxed in or labeled … that's all I will say.
The latest trailer for F9 just dropped, and the new footage concludes by sending longtime Fast and Furious costars Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris into space, so yeah, when it comes to F&F, everything is on the table. Watch the trailer now:
The next Jurassic World movie, Jurassic World: Dominion, is due in theaters on June 10, 2022. We can finally see F9 on June 25 of this year. And the inevitable crossover? Well, the ball is in your court, Universal.
