A "Fast and Furious" spin-off may be happening, as Universal Pictures appears to have lined up Jason Statham and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. While the core franchise will be ending with "F&F 10," it looks like it could branch out like the "Transformers" films are expected to with the Bumblebee movie.
Ever since Marvel and Disney proved it could be profitable to make a cinematic universe spanning several interconnected films, nearly every franchise has been eyed for cinematic universe potential. Everything from "21 Jump Street" to Sony Pictures' "Ghostbusters" remake has been considered in this way, despite the millions of booing fans.
Many people have considered it an insult to the original films to continue making reboots and remakes.
Could Vin Diesel make a cameo?
Since Vin Diesel has been central to most of the series, except for the almost laughable "2 Fast 2 Furious" and a brief cameo in "Tokyo Drift," shifting the focus to Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham might be Universal's way of letting the rest of the crew go their own way. Of course, the loss of Vin Diesel could also mean a shift further away from the racing so the two action movie heavyweights can create a sort of "buddy cop" dynamic.
Neither proposed actor was in the series until later on, and both acted as villains at first. Dominic Toretto wasn't necessarily a heroic character to begin with, being the villain who converted Brian O'Conner to his way of life.
Two movies after being broken out of prison, Dom ended up working for the law. It's a running trend in the series to have villains become allies.
Statham and Johnson have proven they can work well together
Johnson and Statham both have a rather impressive lineup of work behind them, though Statham was generally more accepted in his earlier roles.
Between "The One" with Jet Li and "The Mummy Returns," which would you rather see twice? Johnson took a while to earn respect as an actor, and now they both appear to be on the same level.
In "Fate of the Furious," Hobbs gave Shaw a chance to work with him and take down Toretto, and audiences generally enjoyed the results. The next film could be made while writer Chris Morgan works on the ninth film in the series, and possibly cause Johnson and Statham to work double time in order to be in both films.
Would you see a "Fast and Furious" spin-off starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, possibly leaving Vin Diesel behind?
