Back in 2017, Michelle Rodriguez raised questions about her continued involvement in the Fast & Furious franchise, stating that she was disappointed by the series’ representation of its female characters and that: “I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one. Or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise.”
A couple of months back, Rodriguez suggested that she was still undecided about a return, but it seems she’s now made up her mind and will indeed be reprising the role of Letty in Fast & Furious 9.
“I felt like there was not enough of a female voice in the franchise,” said Rodriguez at the Bloomberg Future of Equality Summit in London (via Collider), revealing that she has agreed to return in exchange for an as-yet-unrevealed female writer being brought in to the franchise. “You should evolve with the times, not just pander to certain demographics that are stuck [in the past].”
Fast & Furious 9 is being directed by franchise veteran Justin Lin, and is slated for release on May 22nd 2020. Rodriguez joins the returning Vin Diesel, while it has also been announced that John Cena (Bumblebee) will be joining the franchise in an as-yet-unrevealed role.
Spin-Off
With the first spinoff Hobbs & Shaw set to open this summer, THR is reporting that Universal Pictures is now considering options to expand the Fast & Furious franchise under its ‘Fast & Furious Presents’ banner.
According to the site, the studio and producers hope to grow the blockbuster franchise into a Marvel Studios-type universe, and are actively exploring other ideas “including a female-fronted spinoff built around Charlize Theron’s character Cipher from The Fate of the Furious.”
Theron’s cyber-terrorist villain remained at large by the end of Fate of the Furious, and at this point it’s unclear whether there are any plans to have the character return in either Fast & Furious 9 or Fast & Furious 10, which are reportedly going to bring the curtain down on the main series.
Naturally, Universal’s Fast & Furious universe plans hinge on the success of the Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham-headlined Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, which opens on August 2nd.