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(Universal)
With this summer’s Hobbs and Shaw release, the Fast and the Furious franchise is officially expanding into spinoff territory. And why not? The Universal property has made the studio over $5 billion in box office earnings worldwide. After Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have their own blockbuster moment this summer, the next spinoff may shift its gear to techie badass Cipher, from 2017’s The Fate of the Furious played by Charlize Theron.
In addition to Hobbs & Shaw, and the upcoming ninth and tenth installments from the main franchise, Universal is reportedly exploring a female-fronted Fast and Furious spinoff built around Charlize Theron’s character Cipher. Universal reportedly has been promised three Fast and Furious spinoffs, including a previously announced female-fronted film. Is this the film starring Charlize Theron’s Cipher or an additional project?
A few months back, Vin Diesel said a female-led Fast movie was officially in the works from two of the Captain Marvel writers Nicole Perlman, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsay Beer. Furthers details have not yet been announced, but many assumed Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty would be leading the film since she’s been the franchise’s leading woman since 2001. So THR's new report about Cipher is especially surprising.
Michelle Rodriguez has also been vocal about her past disappointment with the series’ treatment of female characters. This could have led Universal to think up two female-led movies, one with Letty and one with Cipher, they could be in the same movie or Rodriguez may not be involved in the upcoming Fast and the Furious spin-offs at all.
In 2017, Charlize Theron joined the franchise as the main villain Cipher, a cyber terrorist who blackmails Vin Diesel’s Dominic into betraying his crew. In Fate of the Furious it was also revealed that she played a larger role in events in other films in the franchise, making her a key character to perhaps explored in another movie.
Not to mention the impressive track record the Oscar winner has with fronting action flicks in the past. Theron has played the lead in Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. Another notable connection here is the director of Hobbs & Shaw also helmed Atomic Blonde, so if Universal is planning a continued collaboration with David Leitch, the pair may jump at the opportunity to work with one another again.
Following Theron’s debut in the Fast and the Furious franchise, she seemed open to reprising her role in another film, hinting at impending conversations with Universal. Perhaps it lead to a more meaty role for the actress to take on in a future?
The Fast and the Furious franchise will first continue with Hobbs & Shaw coming to theaters on August 2 and then with Fast and the Furious 9 on May 22, 2020. Do you want to see Charlize Theron’s Cipher return for a spinoff? Let us know in the comments below.
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