Fast & Furious 9 hasn’t even hit theaters, yet the 10th film is already said to be in development. And Vin Diesel even hinted that Universal Studios might borrow the Avengers template and split the 10th movie into two parts. This is a franchise that looks like it neither intends to stop nor take a lengthy break. But should it?
While the franchise has millions (possibly billions) of fans, there are those who feel that it’s time for it to end. But there also those who don’t want this saga to ever come to a conclusion. Sitting on the fence, here are the reasons why the franchise should keep going and the reasons why it should end too.
Keep Going: The Producers Know How To Keep Things Fresh
Part of the reason why Hollywood projects get hasty conclusions is the fear that it will reach a time when viewers will no longer care. This fear is justified. People do get bored. But the producers of the Fast & Furious franchise have figured out how to keep this from happening. And that is injecting fresh blood every few years.
Before Fast Five, the franchise was going stale. Then Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came on board, and things blew up once again. A few years later, Jason Statham was introduced, thus making the franchise even more popular. And most recently, popular wrestler John Cena has come on board. If new stars keep on being introduced, it’s unlikely that fans will ever get bored.
End It: The Stunts Keep Getting More Unrealistic
For a franchise that was initially about racing, things are really getting ridiculous with every new installment. The trailer for Fast & Furious 9 showed us that the upcoming film will even pump up on the ridiculousness. There’s a magnetic plane sucking a car, there’s a rocket-powered car, and there’s a car driving through a falling bridge.
And in the recent past, the crew has used a giant wrecking ball to destroy enemy cars, dragged a bank vault through the streets of Rio De Janiero, and driven from the highest floors of a skyscraper into the other. It’s time to pray that Fast & Furious 10 doesn’t happen on the moon with an alien as the villain.
Keep Going: The Numbers Are Good
Hollywood relies on numbers to determine whether more should be made, or cancellations should happen. For TV shows, its all about ratings while for movies, it’s all about the box office. In total, the Fast & Furious franchise has grossed $5.9 billion. The last film grossed $1.2 billion.
These numbers are too good. There is absolutely no reason for Universal Studios to ditch its moneymaker. And since Fast Five, none of the films has had a score of less than 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. The most recent trailer for Fast & Furious 9 from the Universal Pictures YouTube channel also has 10 million views. Things are good, both critically and commercially.
End It: To Place More Focus On The Spinoffs
It’s hard for the spinoffs to become really popular if the main franchise is still going on. It might thus be appropriate to create two or three spinoffs then end the saga after Fast & Furious 10. This way, we’ll have more Fast & Furious without having too much Fast & Furious.
Hanging up your boots while you are still on top is always a good thing. Passing on the torch is even cooler. It’s been a good run, after all. Not many productions in Hollywood get that kind of longevity. So just end it because even the title Fast & Furious 20 might sound too ridiculous. We don’t want to reach there.
Keep Going: Other Franchises Have Kept Going Without Any Problem
To the crusaders of “End it now!”, we can only ask, “Why the discrimination?” Other franchises have gone on for longer, yet no one calls for them to end. The Star Wars franchise is still going strong after almost five decades. The James Bond franchise is also as interesting as ever, after five decades.
There’s Harry Potter too and Mission Impossible. The Fast & Furious franchise has haters because of its unrealistic stunts, but given that the demand is there and others have done it successfully, there is no justifiable reason to step on the breaks.
End It: Toretto Has Been Left As The Only Main Protagonist
There might be surprises changes at any given moment, but with the way things currently are, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is the only major protagonist left. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham look like they’ll now be focusing on the Hobbs & Shaw movies going forward. And after Dwayne Johnson’s public feuds with Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson, it’s highly unlikely that’ll he’ll want to share the spotlight again with people he doesn’t like.
It’s important to note that the earlier movies with Toretto as the only main protagonist with Brian in support never did well. All of them had less than 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. None of them went past $1 billion at the box office either. So, unless another major action star is introduced, things might go south.
Keep Going: There Is A Shortage Of Car Movies In Hollywood
There are millions of car lovers out there, but there aren’t many major movies about cars. Apart from the Fast & Furious films, the only other notable car films over the past decade have been Ford v Ferrari, Baby Driver, Rush, and Drive. Where’s the love for engines?
It would be a shame to end this franchise, given that there are no options. The standards set by Toretto and his team would also be impossible to top. It’s unfortunate that the Transporter movies never kept going with Statham at the helm. The potential was all there.
End It: The Scripts Are Never Good
Ridiculous stunts aside, there are plenty of plot holes in the Fast & Furious films. For example, there are huge and unexplainable character changes. Like how Tej Parker (Ludacris) went from being a mechanic to being a Mr. Robot kind of hacker.
And how did Brian go from being a normal cop who couldn’t even win a race in the first film to being an expert racer in the second? And why do the people in Tokyo Drift use outdated technology like flip phones yet the film’s events are said to happen after Fast & Furious 6?
Keep it Going: It’s The Most Inclusive Franchise
The topic of diversity keeps popping up in Hollywood. Everyone has different views, but for the people in charge of the Fast & Furious franchise, their view is clear: inclusivity is a must. We’ve seen Korean, South-American, African-American, and Israeli actors. And they all play key roles.
There are plenty of women in starring roles as well, including Michelle Rodriguez (Letty) and Charlize Theron (Cipher). African-American directors F Gary Gray and John Singleton also directed Fast and Furious 8 and 2 Fast 2 Furious, respectively. To add to that, Malaysian-born James Wan and Taiwanese-American Justin Lin have directed the rest of the films.
End It: We Need To See The Cast In Other Movies
The Fast & Furious franchise has become somewhat of a comfort zone for some of the cast. Vin Diesel is the man culprit here. He rarely appears in other movies. And with Daniel Craig’s spectacular performance in Knives Out, we’ve soon what franchise actors can do when they step out of their comfort zone.
Diesel needs to take on more challenging roles. And so do Ludacris and Tyrese. In fact, Tyrese is so attached to the franchise that he went on a rant and had a public spat with Dwayne Johnson after Fast 9 was delayed to make room for Hobbs & Shaw. If he had other projects to work on, he probably wouldn’t have been so angry.
