The Fate of the Furiousis currently raking it in at the box office at a record-setting pace, which has led Universal to think about how they can further profit from their most bankable franchise. The series is set to end after the tenth installment, but there is always room for a spin-off or two. It looks like that is something that is currently being discussed, withDwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character Hobbs andJason Statham’s bad guy turned good Decker Shaw possibly getting their ownFast and Furious Spin-Off.
The news comes courtesy ofDeadline, who are reporting that Universal is in the very early stages of putting together this Hobbs and Show spin-off. The report does note that the studio has had meetings about it and that the idea would be to hopefully film this movie while they figure out exactly what to do withFast & Furious 9. So this spin-off could wind up getting put on the fast track, if it comes together. AssumingDwayne Johnsoncan find room in his very crowded schedule, that is.
This was already hinted at when it was revealed thatThe Fate of the Furiousoriginally had a post-credit scene that featured Hobbs and Shaw exchanging some banter. The scene wound up being cut becauseVin Dieselwas reportedly not happy that he wasn’t involved, so the studio ultimately removed it from the final cut, which could have definitely contributed to thefeud between The Rock and Vin Diesel. But it seems like this spin-off could have been in the cards even prior to the release ofFast 8.
There has been talk ofThe Rock’s character Hobbs possibly getting aFast & Furiousspin-off movie in the past, but nothing really ever came of it. However, pairing him up withJason Stathamas an unlikely ally in a buddy cop movie of sorts is something that isn’t hard to envision. Especially for those who have seenThe Fate of the Furious. No spoilers, but that is definitely something that is explored and something that could easily be mined for more. Not to mention that, sinceDwayne JohnsonandJason Stathamhave entered theFast and the Furiousseries, it has become more profitable than ever. That is surely a consideration on Universal’s part.
Hobbs was introduced inFast Fiveand, outside of the fact that movie nearly doubled the gross of any previous entry in the franchise up to that point, it is largely considered to be the best movie to come from the series so far.Jason Statham’s Decker Shaw came into the fold in a post-credit scene that was attached toFast & Furious 6, leading to him becoming the villain inFurious 7.Fast & Furious 6remains the second-highest grossing of the series, with a grand total of $788.7 million worldwide. ButFurious 7took the franchise to new heights, grossing $1.51 billion worldwide in 2015.The Fate of the Furioushas also been a monster hit, nabbing a $532 million worldwide debut, beating the all-time record, which was set byStar Wars: The Force Awakens. In just a week of release, the movie has made $685.5 million and is expected to add quite a bit to that total this weekend.
Deadline also notes thatChris Morganwill script this proposed spin-off, assuming things wind up moving forward. He has been writing theFast & Furiousmovies sinceThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, so it makes sense that the studio would want to keep him involved. This project is in the very early stages but, if Universal can find a way to make it happen, it seems like a safe bet and a smart way to continue on the franchise.
