Jason Statham has quickly become a key part of the extended Fast & Furious universe despite arriving relatively late to the party after making his franchise debut at the very end of the sixth installment. His Deckard Shaw was the villain of number seven, before he was then welcomed into the family in double quick time during the next movie, something that didn’t sit too well with the #JusticeForHan supporters.
Scheduling conflicts saw Statham and Dwayne Johnson sit out the upcoming F9, though, in favor of their spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, which earned over $750 million at the box office to prove that the series can not only survive but thrive without Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto. Producer Kelly McCormick recently revealed that a sequel won’t be happening for a while yet, and Statham has now echoed those sentiments in a new interview by admitting that he’s waiting on the script to come together.
“Hundreds of millions get spent on making the movie and promoting the movie, so they have to have a good script. We’re motivated to do something about that; we’re waiting for the knock on the door, essentially.”
Fast & Furious 9, meanwhile, is set to kick off one final trilogy in the main timeline, drawing The Fast Saga to a close. Justin Lin will helm the last two entries, and Statham went on to say that fate has kept him apart from the director, but he’s more than willing to return if there’s a role for Shaw.
“I’d love to come back for those couple of movies. It’s thin ice that I’m skating on if I talk about what’s going to happen in the next movies. But I know Justin Lin, I know him really well, and it was funny, when I came on to do the cameo in 6, he never turned up to 7 and 8, and they’re the ones that I did, so we’re destined to do something bigger. It’s great to work with Vin and all the other characters, I’ve made some great friends on that movie, and I really love the film franchise itself. I think it’s a global success for all the right reasons. To be a part of it is just a great privilege. So if they want me in the next ones, I’ll be there.”
Given that the tenth and eleventh Fast & Furious movies will tie a bow around a series that will have been running for well over 20 years by that point, it stands to reason that almost anyone to have played a substantial part in the franchise will be extended an invitation to show up, which will no doubt include Statham and Johnson. And from there, there are going to be plenty more spinoffs to come, so the property is a long way away from running out of gas.
