In widely reported articles, the rumor seemed to have some teeth. As reported “The “Fast and Furious” franchise seems to have done it all after churning out eight movies in the span of nearly 20 years. “The Fate of the Furious” director F. Gary Gray has spoken about how heading into space would ramp up the ninth movie but actor Tyrese Gibson wants something else to happen. So, what will “Fast and Furious 9″ be about?”

This excerpt comes from an article written in 2017, but if you Google the topic, you’ll see that there are many reports suggesting that it was being considered. But what’s really happening?

As of late 2019, we have already seen footage on social media of the production taking place in England, Tblisi (Georgia, previously part of the USSR) and other places. In October 2019, they were filming at Irwindale speedway. I received multiple reports and even photos of NASCAR style cars at the speedway. This suggests that there will be a flashback scene to when Dom’s father was killed at a “stock car” event.

Further reports of parts being ordered for a red FD RX7 suggest that we may get a glimpse of the RX7 back when Dom was just getting his start in illegal street racing.

Since we also know that Cody Walker’s face will be used to assist in the CG recreation of Paul’s face, we can safely say that Paul will make some sort of appearance in the film, even if it’s just a flashback.

As I’ve said all along, as the franchise nears its run of ten scheduled films, fans are itching to see the franchise go full circle. However, I seriously doubt that Universal will stop milking this cash cow anytime soon. In fact, I’d recommend that they keep going and by the looks of things, they intend to. There’s a cartoon series in the works and they’ve already licensed the vehicle’s likenesses to video game franchises globally.

Here’s the thing: it would be very hard to build any kind of box office hit that focused on street racing. There just isn’t enough of a story there. The only thing more boring than drag racing two 16-second tuner cars is WATCHING two 16-second drag racing tuner cars. Yes, I know many tuner cars are way, WAY faster than 16 seconds but the facts don’t lie.

FACT: Go to ANY drag race event in the United States where only tuner cars ar racing. At best, there are a few hundred fans in the stands.

FACT: People can watch drag racing online 24/7 for FREE. They don’t need to spend $50 on movie tickets and popcorn. Online channels like 1320Racing produce amazing drag racing/street racing videos and post them for free. Average view per video? 300,000  Great for their YouTube revenue stream, but hardly enough to build a $1B box office take for Universal.

And so, Universal has no choice but to keep making James Bond-esque action films because the box office results clearly demonstrate that as the stunts and stories get more insane, the box office gross follows suit.

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel, though. As they are clearly running out of ideas and as the franchise has evolved, it’s only natural for the producers and writers to grow nostalgic about what started it all. This thought process can only lead them to complete the circle by passing the baton to the new generation.

I’m betting dollars to doughnuts that the last film will include a coming of age sequence where Brian and Dom’s sons get involved in illegal street racing or some variant of it, and the “Fast family” has to come to the rescue of their kids.

Stepping back to tuner cars, even if it’s later model tuner cars (like the Evo X, R34 or R35 GTR, early 2000s NSX and so on) would delight the fans who helped who were there at the beginning. Of course, Universal would have to include their paid-product placement partners (Dodge, for example) so I fully expect to see 100 Challengers and Chargers in that film, but I think it could still work.

A return to the tuner car culture, even if it’s just part of the finale (Fast 10), would be a welcome tribute to the fans who made the franchise great and who have suffered through Fast 5-8 as the movies moved into the realm of science fiction.

I have low expectations for Fast 9, to be candid. With Vin Diesel having such a profound role, and in the absence of Dwayne Johnson, I get the impression that this is going to be little more than the Chronicles of Riddick with cars. Dom, of course, will take center stage and the story will probably revolve around his life, his dilemmas and his conflicts.

Still, having met him personally, I know he takes the fans of the franchise seriously. I’m not questioning his commitment to make the fans happy – I’m counting on it. Let’s see what happens.