‘Fast & Furious 9’ Set To Be Directed By Justin Lin
Devoted fans to the Fast and Furious franchise will be excited to hear that Justin Lin is returning to direct the ninth movie, after taking a break from directing the seventh and eighth movies. Lin directed the third through sixth movies.
Vin Diesel is expected to be the star of the film. The usual writer, Chris Morgan, who worked on all the Fast and Furious movies since the third installment, is stepping aside to work on a spinoff called Hobbs and Shaw which stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, detailed the Hollywood Reporter.
In Morgan’s place is Daniel Casey, who is the first new writer in the franchise in over 12 years. Casey also wrote The Heavy, a movie that is being produced by J.J. Abrams. He also wrote the screenplay for Kin, which is slated to be released on August 31.
The franchise has amassed many fans around the world, and has reportedly made over $5.1 billion. Of the $5.1 billion, the titles that Lin has directed have grossed nearly $2 billion.
Since the release of the first movie, many directors and writers have been involved. The original director, Rob Cohen, recently spoke out about his opinion on the growing franchise. According to Cinema Blend, Cohen said that “I’m very proud that the character I created in 2001 are still in the lexicon.” The original movie centered around some criminals in Los Angeles stealing home electronics, but have since become a franchise churning out fast-paced thrillers and dazzling viewers with incredible special effects. And indeed, the characters Cohen created have evolved over the years, but remain the heartbeat of the franchise.
Justin Lin and Jordana Brewster to Return to ‘Fast & Furious,’ Vin Diesel Announces https://t.co/lINqy6cZx1 pic.twitter.com/VzTZ6rVg6M
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) October 26, 2017
Meanwhile, the reported falling out between Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel appears to be unfixed, as Johnson was absent during an unveiling of a new ride at Universal Studio’s Florida park. However, Vin Diesel, Chris Bridges, and Jordana Brewster among others were present to commemorate the unveiling of Fast and Furious: Supercharged, reported Yahoo News. The initial feud between the two stars reportedly started on set of the eighth movie, kicked off by an Instagram post by Johnson that criticized “male co-stars” for their unprofessional behavior. This was back in August 2016.
As far as the future of the franchise, Vin Diesel said that he “just got off the phone with Justin Lin, who is directing Fast 9 and Fast 10, and I can’t tell you how excited he is.” Diesel also hinted that one of the movies could be set somewhere in Africa.
Fast and Furious 9 is expected to be released in April 2020.
