We all knew it was going to happen at some point: Fast & Furious 9 is going to space. The long-running franchise has caused vehicular havoc all over the world, but it seems that one planet just isn’t enough to contain action this intense. After all, the action has been gradually becoming more and more outrageous the longer the series extends, with the most recent spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw essentially being a superhero movie in disguise.
According to multiple sources, the same ones who revealed that Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart had cameos in the aforementioned Hobbs & Shaw, and that Keanu Reeves is in talks to join the franchise, which has since been confirmed – Fast & Furious 9 will be heading to space. It’s unclear why or how the gang get there, or even which members of the crew will end up in the stars, but we’ve been assured that at least some of the action will be set there.
Of course, this won’t be the first long-running franchise that’s looked to the sky in later sequels. Notable examples are Critters 4, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Leprechaun 4: In Space and, of course, Moonraker. What goes unsaid is that these sequels are commonly considered low-points in their franchises, marking the moment where the writers have run out of ideas. My bet is that Fast & Furious 9 won’t be entirely set in space, but rather our heroes will have to head up there for the climactic scenes. Hopefully this means it’ll avoid the curse of the space-based sequel.
It’s also shaping up to have quite the cast, even for a Fast & Furious movie. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are sitting this one out after Hobbs & Shaw, but the rest of the big name series veterans are present: Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Helen Mirren. They’re being joined by John Cena, who’ll be providing the grotesquely enlarged biceps that audiences have come to expect from these movies, and Michael Rooker, who gives real grit to any part.
Bolstering all that is director Justin Lin’s return. He’s been on a winning streak for years now and I can’t wait to see what these guys get up to in space. To infinity… and beyond!
