Even the biggest fans are unsure how much filmmaking fuel the Fast & Furious series has left in its tank as Fast X, the 10th film in the series, debuts in May of next year. The easy response, according to Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who portrays Tej Parker in the movies, is FOREVER. Bridges reflected on his career and the nearly two decades he spent behind the wheel in nine Fast & Furious movies in a recent interview with Fatherly. Bridges believes the series won’t end anytime soon, despite plans to finish up the Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) storyline with the 11th movie (scheduled for 2024).That’s good news for Tej fans who enjoy seeing his interactions with Tyrese Gibson’s Roman, which contribute much to the series’ humor.
The Fast & Furious movies, according to Bridges, “all great things come to an end.” “Fast 10 is the last chapter, and we’re currently filming it. However, it’s not necessarily lost forever, is it? Consider Jurassic Park. That was over. But they gave it new life in a different way. So I’m hoping the Fast series will continue indefinitely. Who knows, maybe our kids may carry it on someday.
The Fast & Furious series succeeds because each movie raises the stakes and brings in fresh talent to the cast to keep things interesting. In recent movies, some A-list Hollywood talent has joined longtime cast members Diesel, Ludacris, Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster in parts big and small.Recent movies starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Charlize Theron, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Cena, Helen Mirren, and Kurt Russell have enough star power to match the films’ reliance on action and sustain the franchise past Fast 11. There is no reason to think the Fast & Furious movies can’t continue in some fashion, especially since the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff, starring Johnson and Jason Statham, has already enlarged the franchise’s canon.
Bridges has been a part of the Fast & Furious franchise since the release of 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, thus he has some decent knowledge about the series’ potential runtime.Even though F9: The Fast Saga will take the franchise into outer space in 2021, the popularity of automotive culture will ensure that a fan base will continue to watch the series even after Vin Diesel retires. Jason Momoa and Brie Larson’s additions to the Fast X cast were highlighted by Universal at the most recent CineEurope event, suggesting that they would be the franchise’s natural heirs. The movie series has also shown that comebacks are always possible; Sung Kang, who played Han, made a cameo appearance in Fast 9 despite purportedly having passed away in a prior installment. Given that series lead Paul Walker passed away in a car accident in 2013, the film series’ longevity is impressive (although his character remained alive on screen).
Fast X has faced a number of obstacles on the way to theaters, despite the movie’s popularity. The movie’s release date had already been postponed by Universal, and in May, director Justin Lin, who had previously worked on five Fast & Furious films, quit his position as the project’s director after repeatedly clashing with star Vin Diesel. He was replaced as director by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Incredible Hulk), and work is still in progress. Even if the movie franchise ends, Ludacris will still be active with other endeavors, such as his own animated family series, Karma’s World, which he thinks will balance out the negativity currently present on television.