While saying they’ll be mindful of audience fatigue, Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley sees the Fast & Furious franchise lasting despite the recent passing of star Paul Walker.
“We think there are at least three more,” Langley said during the recent Hollywood Reporter executive roundtable. “Paul is, and always will be, an integral part of the story, but there are many other great characters, and it’s also an opportunity to introduce new characters. 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.”
I imagine when she says “there are at least three more” she’s including Furious 7, which hits theaters on April 3, 2015. Added to that film you’d have a nine films, enough for three trilogy packs. Then again, if there are three more to come you have yourself a ten-film box set and, of course, this is all about money as Langley says, “We’ll keep making these movies until the audience grows tired of the franchise or it or they stop making money.” Hard to blame a studio chairman for having that point of view.
It was The Conjuring 2 next.
Everything makes sense to me. Make more money, get the director back that made you a bunch of money, not to mention directed the one Fast & Furious installment that didn’t include Paul Walker and the one that reinvigorated the franchise. They will, however, need to find a star to kick start things in an eighth film. Not sure who that might need to be… maybe someone like Keanu Reeves?
Here’s the Furious 7 trailer if you missed it earlier.
