Ever since the very beginning, the Fast & Furious franchise has been based on the idea of family. Over nearly 20 years, eight movies and one spinoff, that family has only gotten bigger, with the recent entries in the series introducing countless new characters, bringing the size of the ensemble cast up to massive proportions.
The currently-shooting Fast & Furious 9 is no exception, and while a couple of high-profile names may or may not be missing from the roster following the recent success of spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, Justin Lin’s return to the franchise features a mix of both familiar faces and new recruits. Joining franchise stalwarts Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Jordana Brewster are the returning Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron alongside newcomers John Cena, Michael Rooker and Cardi B.
The possibility of the ninth installment bringing back either Kurt Russell or Scott Eastwood shouldn’t be ruled out yet either, but writer Chris Morgan, who has scripted every entry in the series since Tokyo Drift, has hinted in a recent interview that we could be set to see the return of Luke Evans’ Owen Shaw in some capacity. When asked about the character’s status as the only member of the Shaw family not to appear in Hobbs & Shaw, Morgan certainly made it sound as though he’d be back.
“I think we are, again, a world that is expanding. We have a lot of stories that we’re going to be telling and a lot of interconnected character things. I would just say that I’m a huge fan of that character. Just wait.”
The last time we saw Owen Shaw, he was helping brother Deckard liberate a baby in a daring mid-air rescue mission, such is the logic of this particular franchise. Having him return as a villain yet again seems a little too close to rehashing the story told in the sixth movie, while bringing him in as an ally of Dominic Toretto is too reminiscent of his brother’s story arc, but you never know.
In any case, if Luke Evans doesn’t show up in Fast & Furious 9, then it seems virtually a foregone conclusion that he’ll appear in the potential Hobbs & Shaw sequel instead.
