14 DAY TRIAL // Even though such an announcement was to be expected, it’s still comes surprisingly early: following a strong debut over the weekend, director Justin Lin has confirmed a sixth movie in the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
As we also noted earlier today, “Fast Five” managed to top even the most optimistic of expectations, setting a whole new record for the franchise and showing clear signs that it would end its run at $500 million internationally.
Considering the above, a sequel was to be expected, regardless how much critics pan all installments in the franchise (a notable exceptions being the first and the latest).
Still, announcing a sequel when the most recent film is barely getting started in theaters around the world is somewhat surprising, The Hollywood Reporter also notes.
“After this big weekend, we’re going forward. It’s pretty much 100%. It’s going to happen,” director Lin said in a statement. Universal refused to comment on the status of the sequel and, chances are, it will refrain from doing so until they have a release date.
With all that, THR notes that there’s some speculation that the big bosses at the movie studio were actually preparing for more installments even before “Fast Five” came out – and long before they knew they had a winner on their hands.
“Universal has signed Chris Morgan, the writer of the third, fourth and fifth installments, to a two-year, first-look pact, and he plans to write a Fast Six,” THR says.
There’s also an Easter egg at the end of “Fast Five” that seems to indicate that a “Six” is on the way, for those who have enough patience to stay in the theater until all the credits run, the e-zine reports.
Lin, as far as he’s concerned, is convinced a sequel will come. Since he directed the last 3 installments, it’s safe to assume he knows what he’s talking about.
“At five, we’re just hitting our stride. We’re growing. People want to continue this journey,” he says in the same statement.