The studio's chairman says the franchise is still profitable and can continue despite the absence of Paul Walker.
- Nov 15, 2014
AceShowbiz - The "Fast and Furious" franchise is still Universal Pictures' gold mine. The studio's chairman Donna Langley confirmed that there would be "Fast and Furious 8", "Fast and Furious 9" and "Fast and Furious 10", depending on how the seventh film performs.
"We think there's at least three more," Langley said, adding, "I think it's still a growing franchise. We'll see what happens with 'Furious 7', obviously, but our box office has grown over the past three or four films and internationally, in particular. So we think that there's more to mine there. But we're of course very mindful about fatigue."
The franchise suffered a major blow last year when longtime cast Paul Walker died in a car crash while filming was not yet completed. But Langley is confident the series can move on without him. "Paul is, and always will be, an integral part of the story," she said. "But there are many other great characters, and it's also an opportunity to introduce new characters."
The confirmation came on the heels of the reports that Justin Lin is being lured back to the franchise. Directing four out of seven "Fast and Furious" films, Lin is expected to direct at least one of these future movies and give the franchise a closure.
