Director Justin Lin Says 'F9' Is Part Of A Trilogy That Will Bring An End To 'The Fast Saga'

It seemed like a far-off dream (or an absurd joke) that the Fast and Furious franchise would eventually see the cars fly off into space. But everyone's favorite gearhead family is actually going to space in the upcoming, long-delayed F9. So really, where else can the franchise go? That's what director Justin Lin is deciding as he brings The Fast Saga to an end, with the action franchise reportedly ending with Fast and Furious 11. But while it's been reported that this is only the case because Fast and Furious 10 is being split into two, Lin reveals in a new interview that he actually sees F9 as the "first chapter" in a trilogy that will end the franchise.

Last year, F9 was one of the first tentpole movies to be delayed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. And pushed back again. And again. But amid all those delays, director Justin Lin got the chance to contemplate the future of the Fast and Furious franchise, which was due to end with the 10th movie. However, in October 2020, Universal announced that The Fast Saga would end with an 11th film also directed by Lin, which he describes to The Hollywood Reporter as the final part in a trilogy of films, starting with F9.

"I was thinking of it as one chapter. It became very clear to me that if we were going to do that, we were going to need some real estate. To the studio's credit, it was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.' That's what we've been doing since I've been back...processing it as almost like a trilogy as a final chapter."

This means that F9 is most certainly leading straight into the events of the untitled Fast and Furious 10, though Lin kept mum on the plot of the next two films. He's currently in the process of writing the final two installments, telling Variety, "It's constantly writing and talking. It's what I love. Every time I do one of these, it's always a new challenge, and this one, it wasn't just one film. I know we've been talking about the final chapter for about 10 years, and now that we're starting to see it come to life, it's very gratifying. We've been talking about it for so long. So far, so good. It's feeling like it's the right feel, it's the right move, it's the right track."

However, he also nixed the prospect of finishing the script in time to shoot Fast and Furious 10 and 11 by this year. "Probably not this year," Lin said. "I'm not quite sure when. You can never have enough time in development with these films. Even though I think there's some ideas, I don't think we're going to be shooting this year."

So what can we expect from the final two films in the franchise? Lin teased to Deadline that "Any character, in any situation, is up for discussion," including the stars of the spin-off films Hobbs and Shaw, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. He told the outlet:

"I never really considered them gone, you know? To me, they're still in this universe; they're part of this family. Whatever we do, whenever we're talking about the next chapter, I never feel like I have any restrictions, so I'm excited for what we build, and as we're coming to this kind of final chapter of this saga, I think I'm excited to revisit."

With Han back in the picture, that would definitely make for an interesting reunion.

F9 hits theaters on June 25, 2021.