Fast and the Furious fans knew a sixth installment was coming ever since Dwayne Johnson and Eva Mendes were seen discussing their next target – a thought-dead fugitive played by Michelle Rodriguez – in the mid-credits tease at the end of Fast Five. Of course, if Fast Five had tanked at the box office, delivering that promised sequel might have become more of a challenge. But it didn’t, and so production officially is moving forward on the as-yet-untitled Fast Six (they have to come up with something snappier than that).
Director Justin Lin confirmed the news on his Twitter feed, stating, “It's 2am & just got up for the 1st day of FF6. Always love the calm & silence of the night b4 going on set. Let's go shoot a f@#kin' movie!” You have to love a filmmaker’s enthusiasm. We can only pray that boundless energy makes its way to the big screen and into the finished product.
With the Fast films, it usually does. The addition of The Rock to the series gave the movie an unexpected jolt. Johnson and franchise “founding father” Vin Diesel played off each other beautifully (and brutally). And re-introducing Rodriguez (who many thought died in an earlier installment) plays to the fans while also giving Six another spark.
Here’s what we know about the sequel as it prepares to film around London. Virtually everyone’s back in the mix, from Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster to Luke Evans and Tyrese Gibson. Haywire star Gina Carano is listed on the film’s IMDB page, though so is Rihanna (even though that’s only a rumor at this point). Universal wants the movie in theaters on May 24, 2013 so Lin and his cast better put the pedal to the metal … something they are accustomed to doing.