If Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has his Instagram game down to a tee, then his Fast and Furious co-star, Vin Diesel, rules the roost when it comes to Facebook.
For years, the franchise veteran and all-around petrolhead has maintained a relatively open dialog with his legions of fans, and Diesel’s latest Facebook video has brought the future of Hollywood’s lucrative street-racing franchise into sharp focus.
Staying true to his original promise that Fast and Furious 9 and its untitled sequel will herald the end of Universal’s Toretto saga – you know, barring the planned character-driven spinoffs – Vin Diesel touched on that two-part finale, before confirming that Justin Lin is in “advanced talks” to steer the franchise toward the distant sunset.
Lin is a bona fide stalwart of The Fast and The Furious, having directed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth instalments, so it’s small wonder why Diesel and Co. want to lock him down for their two-part swan song. There’s also mention of Vin Diesel’s on-screen sibling, Jordana Brewster, who plays the part of Mia Toretto amid all the car carnage and eye-popping spectacle. Word is she’ll make a return to the series in time for Fast and Furious 9, which ought to please those who missed Mia in Fate.
Initially scheduled for a back-to-back release in 2019 and 2020, Universal has reshuffled its deck so that the ninth instalment, rumored to be titled Faith of the Furious, has relocated to 2020.
The tenth and final chapter is a total mystery at this point, but it looks certain that Justin Lin will be the one calling the shots from behind the lens. During that aforementioned Facebook video, Vin Diesel championed the director as an “architect” of the series, before noting:
‘The crowd goes wild,’ ‘It’s a three-point shot that made 9 and 10 incredible.’ You wanted 9 and 10 to be incredible. We’ve heard your concerns about the saga and where it needs to arrive in its final chapters.
Even as it speeds toward its 20th anniversary, The Fast and The Furious is still of huge importance to Universal, particularly when you consider that the fledgling Dark Universe struggled to get off on the right foot. As things stand, Fast 9 will race into theaters on April 10th, 2020.
