Fate of the Furious is in the middle of ravaging through box office records, as the film sped to $350 million in its opening weekend. Now that fans all over the world have fallen in love with the franchise’s eighth film, they are already wondering what’s next.
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Universal hasn’t made any official announcement regarding the ninth installment, but there is zero chance they pass at this point. With the money coming in from Fate at the moment, it’s kind of a mystery that the studio isn’t already signing off on five or six more sequels.
Fast 9 is the closest you’ll get to a sure thing, and the franchise is set up all for it. The ending of Fate of the Furious served as a perfect launching point for the next film or two, and here’s how they did it.
WARNING: Major Spoilers Ahead For Fate Of The Furious!
Long-Term Villain
Most of the Fast & Furious movies have featured a new villain, specific to that one film. Once the movie is finished, the character is either killed, written off, or turned into a new good guy. Many thought Deckardย Shaw – the villain in Furious 7 – was the biggest evil the team had faced, and he found himself working with the rest of the team in Fate.
However, as this movie came to an end, the villain was given a seemingly extended contract.
Charlize Theron’sย Cipher – possibly the best villain in the entire franchise – escaped the team during the big climax. As the Shaw brothers hijacked her plane, Cipher managed to jump out with the only parachute.ย
When Mr. Nobody arrived at the infamous dinner scene, he revealed that they had spotted Cipher in Athens.ย
This means that the villain is alive and well, and she will surely be back to wreak havoc on Dom and his team once again.
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Team Got An Upgrade
As everybody sadly knows, Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner won’t return to the Furious franchise. Walker was killed in a tragic car accident in 2013, and the creative team gave him a beautiful send-off at the end of Furious 7.
With Brian and Mia gone, the team was in need of some new faces. By the end of the film, it was evident that some great characters were going to become regulars in the franchise.
The biggest addition here is Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. He may have been a villain in the last film, but the character came on and provided an instant boost to the overall charm of the franchise, as well as providing some excellent action sequences. With the chemistry between Shaw and Hobbs, it’ll be surprising if they aren’t one of the focal points in the next movie.
The team also got some help in the form of Little Nobody, played by Scott Eastwood. While the new character is by no means a replacement for Brian, he has become the character to riff with Tyreseย Gibson’s Roman. These two had a playful bond throughout the whole film, and it should continue.
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The Beginning Of The End
We all know that the Fast & Furious franchise can’t last forever, and the F8 ending started planting the seeds for the ending of the movies.
It was made more than obvious that Dom and Lettyย are starting a family of their own, with little baby Brian at the center of it all. Just like Brian and Mia at the end of Furious 7, Dom is going to have to choose his kid over his antics at some point. Dom’s child will lead the group out of this dangerous lifestyle.
With that in mind, it seems like the series will end as it began – With Dom and Brian riding together.
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Fate of the Furiousย is currently in theaters (and will be for quite a while).
MORE FATE OF THE FURIOUS: Details Surface About Rock And Vinย Diesel And Their Next Furious Film / Plane Rescue Almost Ended Very Differently / You Won’t Believe What The Fast And Furious Cast Almost Looked Like