The Fast And Furious movie series is on the verge of a major expansion, having risen from the ashes of #CandyAssGate as a stronger entity that is somehow even more focused on the importance of family. The series will soon be getting an animated Netflix series, the spin-off starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, and another numbered sequel, but thankfully Fast And Furious is getting a proven shepherd back to ensure that it retains its all-important heart and soul. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, prodigal son Justin Lin is returning to the series with Fast And Furious 9, having directed four of the previous movies before sitting out Furious 7 and Fate Of The Furious. As THR notes, Lin is the man credited with turning a Point Break ripoff into the ultimate action franchise, so this should be a good sign.
Unfortunately, while Lin is returning, the series is losing longtime writer Chris Morgan—who has worked on every movie in the series since Tokyo Drift way back in 2006. Morgan isn’t abandoning the family, though, as he’s simply taking his talents to the aforementioned Johnson/Statham spin-off (tentatively titled Hobbs And Shaw). He’ll be writing and producing the movie, so hopefully the main series doesn’t suffer without his guiding hand.