No one knows for sure if the main Fast & Furious franchise will end with 11 or 12 films. Except for me. I know the truth: it will never end. Some day, probably much sooner than later, Vin Diesel will go on Instagram and post something like, “My brothers and sisters, the time has come for us ride once more. I’m calling on all Fast & Furious fans around the universe to call on Universal to organize the greatest BBQ in history and bring our family back. Coronas up now and forever!” Then we’ll get a nine-part story that ends with Dominic Toretto going back in time so he can storm the beaches at Normandy in his Dodge Charger. (Fast & Furious: D(ominic)-Day will make $40 billion. Domestic.)
I can’t wait. But in the meantime Diesel says we’re getting spinoffs, including a female-led film. So which Fast & Furious characters can carry their own movies after the main series “ends.” These are the people we want to see get behind the wheel of their own standalone stories.
(Warning: This post contains some spoilers for Fast X.)
The Shaw Family Fast & Furious Spinoff: Helen Mirren (Queenie), Vanessa Kirby (Hattie), Luke Evans (Owen), and Jason Statham (Deckard)
The only Fast & Furious spinoff thus far was partly a Shaw family reunion. Vanessa Kirby joined the franchise as Deckard’s sister in Hobbs & Shaw. But we deserve to see the whole clan together. No other group in the franchise is skilled as the original cast, and the Shaws already have that ever important F&F family element. These four characters alone can carry multiple movies.
Plus, having Helen Mirren’s delightful Queenie around for whole movies instead of one scene or two is reason enough to greenlight this spinoff yesterday.
Sung Kang (Han) and Gal Gadot (Gisele)
The franchise’s best (and best-looking) couple seemed destined to be Fast & Furious‘ most tragic tale. You know, on account of them both dying. But this franchise doesn’t believe in death, so they’re now both back. And that means they can star in their own spinoffs. Han can make snacking seem like the coolest thing in the world, so hitting the NOS on him and Gisele (whom he was always at his best with) getting their own adventures sounds like an easy win.
Brie Larson (Tess Nobody) and Kurt Russell (Mr. Nobody)
Mr. Nobody’s daughter Tess proved more than capable of filling her missing father’s shoes in Fast X. No surprise, since the younger Nobody was played by Oscar-winner Brie Larson. She knows a little something about playing a hero in a larger-than-life fantasy series of superheroes. Now we need to see her star opposite the legendary Kurt Russell so we can really see what a couple of famous Nobodys can do together.
(Note: Their first film should take place in Greece, which is where we believe the family is from. “Nobody” is a pretty famous Greek name, after all.)
Eva Mendes (Monica Fuentes)
Yeah, remember!? Eva Mendes was a big part of 2 Fast 2 Furious as undercover U.S. Customs Agent Monica Fuentes. She then returned for a post-credits scene with Dwayne Johnson in Fast Five. Well, even if you forgot all that, Dante Reyes didn’t. Dante included Fuentes as an associate of Dom Toretto on his vision board in Fast X. Sounds like Mendes could be returning for the next film (at least), but why stop there when you have a big star playing a great character who can work undercover? Give Mendes her own Fast & Furious spinoff which can literally go anywhere.
Especially if it also means bringing Ryan Gosling to the franchise. Specifically as his character from Drive, yes, obviously.
Daniela Melchior (Isabel Neves) and Elsa Pataky (Elena Neves)
World-class driving skills? Check. Family? Check. A hyper sense of right and wrong? Check. A character who is definitely dead suddenly turning out to be alive? That will be a major check if Elsa Pataky returns as Elena. And why wouldn’t she? With Daniela Melchior joining the series in Fast X as her younger sister Isabel, the Neveses have literally everything we’d want from a Fast & Furious film. Or five of them.
Ryan Reynolds (Victor Locke) and Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs)
I mean, it’s Ryan Reynolds. The guy can carry a franchise. He was also really funny as CIA Agent/best friend Victor Locke in Hobbs & Shaw, where he had incredible chemistry with Dwayne Johnson. Now that The Rock is officially back in the franchise, these two seem like an ideal pairing for another spinoff.
And when their films crossover with the Shaw Family series they’re going to make Avengers: Endgame look quaint.
John Cena (Jakob Toretto)
Did Jakob definitely die in Fast X? Yes. Does that mean he’s definitely dead? Hahaha, sorry, we just wanted to see what that looked like in print. Jakob can and probably will be back, and considering how much fun John Cena had playing the part the second time hopefully when Jakob Toretto returns he also gets a spinoff of his own.
The Fast & Furious Kids in Their Own Spinoff Adventure
Dom is teaching his son Brian to be better than him. Those lessons obviously include understanding the value of friends and family above all else. So someday, as Fast X teased, it seems certain little Brian will hit the road with big Brian’s children for a whole new generation of Fast & Furious stories.
Vin Diesel will definitely be in those. Spinoffs or main series, it doesn’t matter. He’s going to keep making these movies forever.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
