If you were disappointed to learn that the ninth entry in the gear-headed Fast & Furious franchise would be put back a year to 2020, have heart: taking its place, at least in Universal's plan, is the Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw spin-off.
Regular Fast scribe Chris Morgan is at work on the script for the film, which sees the enemies-turned-unlikely comrades (thanks to some retconning in Fast And Furious 8) teaming up to take on a mission separate from Dom and the rest. So now we know when we'll likely see the Diplomatic Security Service agent Hobbs and presumed-villain-but-actually-able-to-let-bygones-be-bygones Shaw squaring up – assuming, of course, that both leading men sign on, as The Hollywood Reporter notes that neither have made a deal yet. Not letting that small fact get in the way, nor the fact that it lacks a director or other main crew, the film is scheduled for 26 July, 2019.
As for the main Fast films, the delay appears mostly down to locating the right director for the ninth movie. Justin Lin may be back for more, and could be the person to shepherd it to an April 2020 release. But not everyone is thrilled by all the shifting around – as a recent Instagram post by fellow Fast performer Tyrese Gibson shows...
Fast & Furious Spin-Off For Dwayne Johnson And Jason Statham In The Works