Furious 7 was the end of an era for the series, and an incredibly poignant send-off for Paul Walker.
Even before Walker’s passing though, the end of Furious 7 was being billed as the start of something new for the franchise, wrapping up an arc that began in 2009’s Fast & Furious (or alternatively in Tokyo Drift, via some retcon magic).
With nearly $400 million in the bank already, we pretty much know for a fact that a sequel is on its way. The only question now is, just what the heck is it going to be about?
Mr. Nobody
You don’t introduce a character like Mr. Nobody (or an actor like Kurt Russell) without a plan, and by the sound of it, the Fast & Furious team have some big ideas for how he might fit into future installments.
Before Paul Walker died, the film’s ending was originally supposed to tease a “bigger world” that the series could head into next. According to Vin Diesel, Mr. Nobody and his shadowy government institution were meant to be a big part of this.
So what could that mean? Could Dom and friends be taking on more missions from Mr. Nobody? Or maybe, even going up against Mr. Nobody for some reason? That could be a nice return to their criminal roots, considering they’ve basically spent the past two movies working for the government as mercenary super-cops.
New York
Along with the idea of Mr. Nobody being a central part of the future of the series, we’ve also gotten word that the next film will likely be set in New York. That’s an interesting change of pace after all of the globe-hopping the team has done, but now that they’re stateside, it does make sense to finally visit the Big Apple.
A Tokyo Drift-esque car chase through Times Square? Sign me up.
Monica Fuentes
A Fast & Furious rumor that’s being passed around a lot lately is that the producers want Eva Mendes, who played U.S. Customs Agent Monica Fuentes in 2 Fast 2 Furious (and cameoed briefly in Fast Five), to return for the sequel. Apparently, the current idea they’re developing for the eighth film hinges on whether or not Mendes will return.
So why Agent Fuentes? Is Carter Verone back? That seems a little boring after the Shaw brothers, but maybe it could turn out Verone was working for a similarly extensive criminal network; kind of like Braga’s role in Fast & Furious 6.
Sean Boswell
Last but not least (well, maybe the least depending on your view of Tokyo Drift), Sean Boswell makes a brief appearance in Furious 7, finally catching the series up to the events of the third movie.
It’s a tiny, tiny appearance, one that probably wouldn’t have even made the final draft of the script if it wasn’t for how much Furious 7‘s story ties into one pivotal scene in Tokyo Drift. That’s why it’s surprising that Lucas Black, who plays Sean Boswell, wasn’t just contracted for this brief cameo. Instead, the studio had him commit to appearing in the eighth and ninth installments of the series as well.
Boswell is probably the least interesting character in the Fast series (he’s literally just a high school kid who’s moderately better at racing than other high school kids), but let’s face it, Dom’s team is shrinking at an alarming rate. Han and Giselle left the series in Fast & Furious 6, and with Paul Walker gone, that means we won’t be seeing any more Brian (and probably no Mia as well).
Even if super-hacker Ramsey ends up joining the team, that’s still an awfully small group compared to the collection of people we saw in, say, Fast Five. Sean Boswell wouldn’t be my first draft pick, but at this point, there aren’t many characters left.
Other Characters
Well, there aren’t many, but there are definitely still a couple of characters that could potentially make a return. Leon from Dom’s original crew in the first film is still MIA, as are Suki and Jimmy from 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Out of everyone though, I’m most curious as to where Leo and Santos went. Those guys were a huge part of Fast Five, but barely get a mention in Fast & Furious 6. If Dom needs more teammates, those guys are realistically probably his best option.
What do you think? What should 8 Fast 8 Furious: New York Drift be about?
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