Michelle Rodriguez is ready to step down from the driver’s seat for the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise.
The ‘Fast X’ star has said that despite the spin-off series in the works of co-star and producer Vin Diesel, he won’t be taking on a lead role.
“Pass the baton. Take the back seat,” Rodriguez said Variety on the red carpet for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project Block Party. “Go to the passenger side. When it (becomes) the next generation, you have to do it. It’s the only way to let them define the future.”
Diesel has confirmed that several spinoffs are under discussion, including the much-anticipated indie film with a female lead.
“I started developing the female spinoff in 2017 with other spinoffs, and the sooner I deliver the finale, the sooner I can launch all the spinoffs,” Diesel said, citing the two-part franchise finale…for Now.
Diesel previously teased a possible twelfth film at the “Fast X” premiere, saying Universal had asked him to make “‘Fast X: The Finale’ a trilogy.”
Now, Diesel is putting the comment in reverse.
“Look at how many characters and great talent there are in the film. There was no way we could do that unless you got everyone involved for five seconds,” Diesel told Variety. “These characters are appealing and we need to see more of them… It’s bittersweet to think about an ending.”
Diesel also addressed the fact that Gal Gadot’s past cameos were cut from previous installments in the franchise; both Gadot and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprise their respective roles for “Fast X” appearances.
“We shot other stuff a long time ago that might not fit that specific movie as a finale,” Diesel said of Gadot’s past work. “Tagging is a very complicated thing because you want your great talent but at the same time you have to be very careful to keep the emotional state of your audience at the end of the film. So this is what you’re juggling.
He added of the ‘Fast X’ cameos, ‘I’m so excited to have them back home and even more excited to see the fan reactions and see how happy it makes people.’
