'Fast & Furious' Reveals Future Release Dates

I have to admit that I don't immediately understand the appeal of the Fast & Furious movies. A bunch of renegades racing around in fancy cars doesn't necessarily immediately jump out at me — I like my movie with a little more plot... and a lot fewer cars, I guess. Of course, my opinion changed once I actually watched one of movies — I think the first or second, I can't be sure since it was just on TV while I was flipping channels — and I found myself zoning out and instead of looking for some deep, intense storytelling, just enjoying the action. Clearly the franchise, now more than seven releases in, is an international success, so much so that there will be even more action coming our way. We already know that the next installment will be coming out in 2017, but it was announced this week that Fast & Furious 9 and 10 will hit theaters in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Vin Diesel confirmed Universal Pictures' release dates via his Instagram page on Tuesday, February 2, making a whole lot of fans extremely excited, but also really impatient, as well. After all, 2017 is still more than a year away, and then having to wait five more years until the franchise wraps up for good seems interminable. To be honest, 2021 seems like a dream date, something out of science fiction, not the immediate future. We don't have that kind of attention span!

In case you somehow forgot, Furious 7 was the most successful movie in the franchise yet, bringing in over $1.5 billion in ticket sales worldwide. No wonder Universal is keen to extend the series for as long as possible! Of course, the last release had the unique quality of being the last film featuring the late Paul Walker, who tragically passed away in 2013. That's not to say that Walker's appearance was the only draw of the film — all six before were also considered major successes, hence the studio's commitment to continuing to make them — but we'd be remiss not to consider the effect this had on its performance and the fact that Furious 7 made the franchise Universal's most successful of all time.

Thankfully, we still have three more Fast & Furious movies in which to explore storylines and, perhaps most importantly, to enjoy the racing of a bunch of really sweet custom cars. The franchise is unique not only because it's spanned nearly two decades, but because it fills a unique spot in the movie market: the point of them isn't particularly to tell a story that will change your life, it's to contain lots of action, lots of fast cars, and a whole lot of fun. And isn't that what we need more of in our entertainment, and in life in general? I think so.

Image: Universal Pictures