With the franchise such a family affair, it seemed likely that, following the tragic death of Paul Walker, nobody involved would want to continue past next instalment Fast & Furious 7. It turns out this is not necessarily so. Deadline surmised last week that Universal might be looking to bring four-time Fast & Furiouser Justin Lin back to direct another one. And now, Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley has revealed that, far from 7 marking the final chapter, she thinks the studio has at least three more in the tank{
Can the series stand without Walker? "I believe it can," says Langley. "We think there are at least three more. 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."
Langley does, however, admit that the Universal is mindful of "fatigue", so all involved clearly have a keen eye on the fine line between milking a franchise and flogging a horse.
Furious 7's director this time out is James Wan, with Jason Statham antagonising the team to avenge his brother Luke Evans. Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black make up the rest of the sprawling cast, and it's out in the UK on April 3.