'Fast and Furious' Franchise Is Coming to an End, and Fans Can't Believe It

Fans were left in a state of disbelief Tuesday after it was confirmed that the Fast and Furious [...]

By Allison Schonter

Fans were left in a state of disbelief Tuesday after it was confirmed that the Fast and Furious franchise is coming to an end. According to sources who spoke to Deadline, the franchise, which launched back in 2001, will conclude after two final movies, bringing the total number of films to 11. An air date for the final film has not been revealed, though, with F9 set to be released in May 2021; the franchise will have run for more than two decades by the time it officially wraps.

The action-packed film series began in 2001 when The Fast and the Furious made its theatrical debut, starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker as lead-footed protagonists. The film spawned an original trilogy, which focused on illegal street racing with 2 Fast 2 Furious premiering in 2003 and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift debuting in 2006. That first trilogy of films became many more, with Fast & Furious coming out in 2009, with several other films following.

Given the popularity of the franchise and the length with which it has survived, many fans were left speechless after hearing Tuesday's news that it would soon be concluding. As shockwaves reverberated through the Fast and Furious fandom, many took to social media to react. Scroll down to see what fans are saying about the end of the franchise.

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According to Deadline, the final two films of the franchise will be directed by Justin Lin, who is in post-production on F9. These final films will reportedly focus on Diesel's character Dom Torretto and seem likely to bring back Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Sung Kang.

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Lin is no stranger to the Fast and Furious franchise. Along with directing the ninth installment, he also directed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth films.

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The ninth installment of the franchise, aptly titled F9, continues the storyline of the core cast, including Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, and Tyrese Gibson, as well as several actors who've played memorable roles in past films, like Jordana Brewster, Lucas Black, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, and Sung Kang, according to Variety. John Cena is also set to make his debut to the franchise as Jakob, the newest villain and Dom's younger brother. Music stars Cardi B and Ozuna will also appear.

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F9 was initially slated to premiere this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Universal pushed the project to Memorial Day 2021.

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The Fast and Furious franchise has risen as Universal's biggest franchise, grossing around $5.7 billion. It has surpassed Jurassic Park, which has grossed over $5 billion and has its next installment, Jurassic World: Dominion, currently filming in London.

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While this may be the end of the Fast and Furious franchise, it is not the end of the Fast and Furious cinematic universe. Although the storyline centered on Diesel's character is ending, spin-off movies based on Fast and Furious characters are already in development at Universal.

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Variety

reports that the first of these spinoffs, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, has already proven to be a success, grossing over $759 million worldwide. That film premiered in 2019 starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

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