Anna Daniels
As the Fast and the Furious movies have gotten wilder and sillier, the joke goes that the only place for Dominic Toretto and company left to go is outer space. The franchise aims to prove that is not true.
Having seen considerable success with last year’s spinoff movie Hobbs & Shaw. Universal is looking at a new spinoff focusing on the females of the franchise. Even as male-centric as the F&F movies tend to be, that just might work.
The ‘Fast and Furious’ movies have always evolved
That the Fast and the Furious movies want to branch out should come as no surprise, as the movies have been shifting focus almost from the beginning. The first three were street-racing movies, but the third movie, Tokyo Drift, saw the franchise take on a completely different set of characters than had been in the first two movies. Tokyo Drift didn’t get a ton of attention at the time, but it introduced Justin Lin, who became the series’ director for four films in a row.
After reuniting Vin Diesel with the other characters in 2009’s Fast & Furious, Lin set the stage for the franchise to become something akin to the James Bond franchise for a new generation.
From Fast Five forward, the series became not so much about street racing but about elaborate heists, with the Toretto family teaming up to assist Dwayne Johnson in bringing down various criminal rings. From the moment Ludacris said “They got a tank,” all bets were off.
So it was only a matter of time before the franchise ran off in new directions. Last summer came the movie focusing on Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s frenemies. It didn’t join the billion-dollar club like the prior two Fast and Furious movies did, but Hobbs and Shaw performed well enough for Universal to realize that they could stretch with this series.
Vin Diesel says the all-female movie is good to go
Nothing’s absolutely definite yet, but Motor Authority quotes an interview where Diesel said, ‘I’ve created a female spinoff. And that script comes next month, so we will see.”
He identified Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet as co-writers on the script. Perlman wrote for Guardians Of the Galaxy while Beer worked on Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and Robertson-Dworet’s credits include Captain Marvel and Tomb Raider.
The cast of this all-female movie has not been set, but especially for a franchise very focused on the male gaze, the series has always included strong female characters. Michelle Rodriguez, who has been in most of the movies is a sure bet, and with Jordana Brewster back for the ninth movie, she might be persuaded to star in the all-female version too.
The filmmakers are also likely eyeing Vanessa Kirby, who made a strong impression in Hobbs and Shaw, and it’s not inconceivable that Charlize Theron’s villain could come back again.
This movie would likely also introduce some female faces that are new to the franchise. Eva Green, maybe? Or how about Rebecca Ferguson from the Mission: Impossible movies? The possibilities are many.
Women have been good for the box office
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UU1SkKoysM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Every time a movie franchise normally dominated by males gets a strong female lead, the worst trolls on the Internet complain. That just goes to show what the movies are doing is working. We’ve already seen Birds of Prey by Cathy Yan, and This year alone will bring us three more action movies helmed by females: Black Widow (Cate Shortland) Wonder Woman 1984 (Patty Jenkins) and The Eternals (Chloe Zhao).
And if those aren’t a sign of the times, consider No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final turn as 007, out April 10. The Bond series has repeatedly been accused of rampant chauvinism and sexism over its 58 years in theaters, so it’s a big deal that No Time to Die received a script polish from Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame. It’s the first time a Bond movie has ever had a female writer.
Whether the next James Bond is female remains to be seen, but the Fast and the Furious women are already finding themselves in good company. The ninth movie, called simply F9, will be out May 22, with Lin returning to the director’s chair for the first time since Fast & Furious 6.
Written by: Cheat
