Warning: this article contains a spoiler for The Fate of the Furious.
Deadline reports Universal Pictures is developing the first ever Fast & Furious spin-off starring franchise breakouts Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Variety has also reported that the saga’s latest villain, the anarchist Cipher, played by Charlize Theron may also be returning for the spin-off.
Rumors of a spin-off featuring Johnson’s character Luke Hobb’s have floated since Johnson returned for a second outing as the now former agent of the Diplomatic Security Service in Fast & Furious 6. The latest installment in the franchise The Fate of the Furious features Hobbs along with the rest of the Fast family teaming up with Furious 7 villain Deckard Shaw (Jason Stathman) as they take on Cipher in an attempt to bring back the leader of their family, Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel) from the criminal underworld and prevent terror from being unleashed on the world.
Since the film’s release, fans have buzzed online over the chemistry between Johnson and Statham and it’s no surprise the studio is going to capitalize on that. After reports of an on-set feud between Johnson and Diesel plagued the production of the latest film, the drama then reached an all-time high recently when reports emerged that Diesel removed a scene originally set to be a tag at the very end of the film that featured Johnson and Jason Statham. It was said that Johnson and Statham had popped so much on-screen that the studio was already eyeing the duo for a spin-off.
Due to the popular reception of Theron in the eighth installment, the studio is now considering including her in the first spin-off. Considering she does escape in the end, the door is open for her to return for another outing in the franchise. It’s possible the spin-off may feature Johnson and Statham giving another go Theron’s character.
Fast & Furious writer Chris Morgan will develop the script for the spin-off but no work has been done yet. A source close to Deadline said that the studio is pursuing an idea for Hobbs to form an unlikely alliance with Shaw, for a spin-off that could be made while Morgan and the studio develop the next Fast film.
Universal has already set Fast and Furious 9 for release on April 19, 2019, with the tenth installment slated to hit theaters on April 2, 2021. Both Diesel and Johnson have ended the feud and are committed to returning for the ninth and tenth films which could close out the main saga of the franchise.
Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the Fast franchise as we learn it.
