With production gearing up for the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, one Fast family member may not be returning as Michelle Rodriguez revealed she has yet to sign on for the project.
While Michelle Rodriguez has been very vocal about how grateful she is to have been to be a part of The Fast and The Furious franchise since its debut in 2001, she has also been very forward regarding her issues with the onscreen imbalance between male and female characters in the high-octane action films, to the point of even considering her departure altogether.
With the franchise now expanding with not only Hobbs & Shaw later this year, but a possible female-led spin-off which Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet were recently revealed to be developing, it seems like all the gears are in motion to continue to build out the franchise in more diverse and exciting ways. Except one staple of the franchise may not be returning as Michelle Rodriguez revealed to Vanity Fair that she isn’t sure whether or not she’ll be reprising her role as Letty Ortiz in Fast and Furious 9 which is set to begin filming soon for an April 2020 release:
“I don’t know if I’m coming back. I have to read the script first. Once I read the script, I’ll know. When I read the script—and I hope that it’s inclusive—then I’ll agree to come back or not. My energy is completely directed toward the feminine right now and supporting women. I’ve spent most of my life shooting guns, and hanging out with the boys, and watching them scratch their balls, and smelling protein-mixed farts. And now I’m feeling the poetry and the beauty and the sensuality of women, and the power we bring together. So they need to show more love to the women. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go. But I know that I’m headed in that direction. We’ll see if that all matches.”
The Fast franchise has been well known for featuring a diverse cast for many years, however, the series has been light on female characters compared to the number of male co-stars since Fast and Furious 6. Furious 7 only featured 2-female leads opposed to the seven male leads. The eighth film, The Fate of the Furious slightly improved on this number as it introduced Charlize Theron as the anarchist Cipher and Helen Mirren as the mother of the Shaw brothers. Hobbs & Shaw will feature the introduction of both Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) and Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver) into the franchise.
Hobbs & Shaw is being directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) from a script written by franchise veteran Chris Morgan. Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz and Seven Bucks Productions’ Hiram Garcia are producing the film. Here’s the official synopsis:
“A spinoff of The Fate of the Furious, focusing on Johnson’s US Diplomatic Security Agent Luke Hobbs forming an unlikely alliance with Statham’s Deckard Shaw.”
The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Eddie Marsan, Eiza Gonzalez, and Idris Elba.
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw will hit theaters August 2, 2019. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on Hobbs and Shaw, as well as the future of the Fast and Furious franchise as we learn it.
Source: Vanity Fair
Top Actors To Replace Ben Affleck In Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’
Ben Affleck is officially out as Batman and it's a pretty sad day.
Words cannot describe how sad I am to see Ben Affleck announce that he's no longer Batman. His Batman is why I do what I do. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I fell in love with his comic book-accurate interpretation of the Caped Crusader. It was a breath of fresh air and it felt like we finally had the one true Batman.
Three years have quickly sped by and we're officially going to receive a new Batman for his next movie. Last night, Ben Affleck announced that he will not return as the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves' The Batman and now everyone's attention has moved towards wanting to know who the next Bruce Wayne will be. Matt Reeves is said to want an actor that's around 20 years younger than Affleck while Warner Bros. wants someone older. My guess is that Reeves wants a fresh start while the studio wants an older actor for crossover potential.
In this list, I will discuss the actors I think can replace Ben Affleck as Batman using the parameters that Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. want. Hit Next to see our picks to play the Batman.
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an X-Men alum and no stranger to comic book franchises. The actor has shown multiple levels of range and could definitely handle the Batman/Bruce Wayne personality. If they go with the older range for the next Dark Knight, then Fassbender is probably one of the best choices to take over the role.
Ben Barnes
Ben Barnes is out of a job after The Punisher season 2 and he's one of the best actors in that series. The second season tied up Barnes' arc on The Punisher and the actor has already told us that that he'd love to play the Caped Crusader. Barnes definitely has the pretty boy look going on for him and I wonder what his take on Bruce Wayne could be.
Ryan Gosling
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Ryan Gosling needs to star in a superhero movie. I've always thought Gosling would make a great Batman. Every role that he's done has shown us his capability and he could crush it as Bruce Wayne.
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is my top choice for an older Batman. If Warner Bros. wants to cast an older actor for crossover potential, Jon Hamm is the studio's best bet. He has a similar look to Ben Affleck, and c'mon, the guy's look just screams Bruce Wayne.
Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer is 32 years old and was cast as the Caped Crusader in George Miller's Justice League: Mortal. That film will never see the light of day, but that doesn’t mean that Hammer doesn't deserve a second shot at being the Batman. He's charming, broody and will probably give his all for this role. Armie Hammer is a great option because he's young enough for Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. could work in a way for him to crossover with the rest of the DC Extended Universe.
Richard Madden
Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden is my top choice to replace Ben Affleck as Batman. The actor is young, has the look and definitely has the acting chops to play the duality of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Madden just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television series for the BBC drama Bodyguard, so Warner Bros. may want to quickly snatch him up.
