Vin Diesel will neither confirm nor deny if Fast and Furious 9 will take the next bombastic step for the franchise and send its racing to space. Jokes about the series leaving Earth have circulated for years, fueled by the Fast franchise’s constantly-rising stakes and increasingly-absurd action sequences. Recent rumors have suggested that the upcoming film will finally break the atmosphere, and Vin Diesel seems tight-lipped but open to the idea.
Once upon a time, Fast & Furious was a series about street racing. The first four films in the franchise grew steadily in their budgets and special effects. Still, the story remained relatively grounded throughout – a story about family, fast cars, and drinking Coronas. That all started to change when Fast Five elevated to a blockbuster heist movie. Since then, the series has kept one-upping itself, racing tanks, planes, and submarines, battling superspies, jumping hypercars between skyscrapers, and resurrecting people from the dead.
After so much absurdity has come and gone through the Fast franchise, space seems like the next illogically logical place to go. Series star Vin Diesel was asked about the possibility of extraterrestrial action in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, and his response neither confirmed nor denied the recent rumors. “No spoilers over here,” Diesel said. I will say that Justin [Lin] is one of those think-outside-of-the-box directors. I'd put nothing past him, and he will thoroughly play with whatever is plausible to incorporate into the story.” While far from a promise of racing in space, Diesel’s cagey reply certainly leaves the door open for fans to cross their fingers.
With at least two more films confirmed after Fast and Furious 9 and plenty of potential for spinoffs and franchise expansion, the series certainly has plenty of surprises left in store. It seems nearly impossible for the franchise to keep outdoing itself for three more films, given how absurd the story has already become, but if the past is any indication, then Lin, Diesel, and the rest of the team are more than up to the task.
Even if the family doesn’t get to space in Fast and Furious 9, they’ve still got plenty of time to make it happen. As Charlize Theron’s Bond-esque Cipher continues to fill the series’ villain role, any level of sci-fi tech or fantastical schemes could be at play. Fast and Furious 9 has already revealed one twist in Han’s resurrection, and it should be fun for fans to see what else the next movie has in store.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
