'Fast & Furious' franchise to end after 2 more films: reports
The final installments will be directed by Justin Lin
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The blockbuster "Fast & Furious" franchise is almost at the finish line.
The action-thriller series, starring Vin Diesel, is reportedly ending after two more films to be directed by Justin Lin, according to multiple outlets, making the total number of movies in the franchise 11.
The first film, "The Fast & the Furious," premiered in 2001, and since then the franchise has grossed over $5.89 billion at the global box office, The Hollywood Reporter said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The latest movie, "F9" directed by Lin, was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic but is slated to be released Memorial Day weekend 2021.
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"The Fate of the Furious," the street racing epic's last film that came out in 2017, grossed $1.23 billion globally and created another spinoff, focusing on Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's characters, titled "Hobbs & Shaw."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Besides Diesel, the original films helped launch the careers of Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang and Gal Gadot.
(L-R) Actors Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster arrive on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premiere of "Fast & Furious" held at the Gibson Amphitheatre on March 12, 2009 in Universal City, California. (Jeff Vespa/WireImage)
The series also welcomed actors Charlize Theron, Djimon Hounsou and John Cena as the plots shifted more towards heists and international espionage.
Diesel revealed back in February that he's been brainstorming the end of the franchise for some time. He told TotalFilm (via GamesRadar), “I started planning for ‘Fast 10’ before we started filming ‘Fast 9.’ Very much so."
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“The universe is so robust and so rich with talent and rich with story that, on one level, it’s totally feasible to have spinoffs, and I think that’s something that is inevitable," Diesel continued. "Universal deserves it because of how much they’ve invested in this little saga, and it’d be good to give back to Universal. And for the fans, should ‘Fast 10’ parts one and two be the conclusion, it would be nice for this world to continue for generations to come.”