Two decades, eight instalments and a spin-off to date... and yet the Fast & Furious juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down. With Fast & Furious 9 currently in production, here's what you need to know.
Who is directing Fast & Furious 9?
Returning for Fast & Furious 9 is Justin Lin, who previously directed the four instalments from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift to Fast & Furious 6. James Wan stepped in for F&F7 and F. Gary Gray made F&F8, but it's Lin that's now back behind the wheel to finish the series with, according to Vin Diesel, both the ninth and tenth films.
Who is starring in Fast & Furious 9?
As you'd expect at this point, Vin Diesel returns with Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Michelle Rodriguez and Nathalie Emmanuel, with Jordana Brewster also making a comeback, having sat out the last one. Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren are confirmed as reprising their roles from the eighth chapter. The principal newcomer is John Cena, filling the former-wrestler-shaped space created by Dwayne Johnson's absence (see below). We don't know who Cena's playing yet. Anna Sawai and Vinnie Bennett have also been cast in so-far undisclosed roles.
What is Fast & Furious 9's story?
Nothing's been revealed yet. The threads of the previous film's story, however, have not yet quite been tied off, with Theron's villain Cipher still at large. So that's probably a starting point at least. Cipher, you'll recall, was revealed to have been the shady Blofeld-type mastermind who'd been, directly or indirectly, employing several of the villains of previous instalments. That's how this series rolls. We last saw her escaping from a plane by parachute to fight our heroes another day. Or to join forces with them against someone else. That's also how this series rolls.
Expect a degree of vehicular mayhem and some sentiment about family. Shooting is based at the UK's Leavesden studios, and location work will take in London, Los Angeles and Krabi, Ko Pha-ngan and Phuket in Thailand.
The screenplay for this one is by franchise newcomer Daniel Casey, with previous regular Chris Morgan otherwise occupied by Hobbs and Shaw.
Are Hobbs and Shaw in Fast & Furious 9?
Almost certainly not, unless we're talking about cameo appearances. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have detoured into their own spin-off, keeping them otherwise occupied as F&F9 revs up. As Johnson explained to MTV in early 2019, "As of now, we're not in Fast 9 because they're getting ready to start shooting. But... with Fast 10 and down the road, you never know. Because at the end of the day, the truth is there's unfinished business between Hobbs and Dom..."
When is Fast & Furious 9 released?
Fast & Furious 9 is released in the UK on 22 May 2020, a year later than originally planned, thanks to the interjection of Hobbs & Shaw. Whether that has a knock-on effect on the below remains to be seen.
Is Fast & Furious 9 the end of the series?
No. Fast & Furious 10 is currently supposed to be the Final Furious, with a supposed release date of 2 April 2021. That year, incidentally, marks the 20th anniversary of the series' humble beginnings. Neat.