Universal is exploring the idea of a Fast & Furious spinoff movie built around Charlize Theron’s character Cipher. Suffice it to say, Universal couldn’t have predicted The Fast and the Furious would give rise to a massive billion dollar-grossing franchise when it released the film in 2001. It’s not just the box office gross that’s gotten bigger with every passing sequel either (though, obviously, there’s that). By this point, several of the Fast & Furious movies have been well-received critically and managed to draw big name stars to everything from leading roles to cameos (namely, in the case of Helen Mirren).

The property will only continue to expand with this summer’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, the first of potentially multiple spinoffs based around characters from the main series. Franchise lead and producer Vin Diesel has further confirmed that a women-led spinoff movie is currently being developed by a collection of writers, including Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider). It seems that might not be the only women-driven spinoff in early development, either.

In a much-larger article on Universal’s ongoing legal battle with longtime Fast & Furious producer Neal Moritz, THR revealed the studio is exploring the idea of a women-anchored spinoff based around Theron’s Cipher from The Fate of the Furious. However, the report doesn’t clarify if this is a separate project from the previously announced women-led spinoff or if it’s the same one and Cipher is simply being considered for the film’s primary villain.

The cyberterrorist Cipher was presented as being a pretty straightforward antagonist in The Fate of the Furious, with few (if any) qualms about holding Dominic Toretto and Elena Neves’ young son hostage or killing Elena to get Dom to do her bidding. As such, she would be a fitting choice to serve as the main threat in the women-led Fast & Furious spinoff film, and potentially face off with returning heroes like Letty Ortiz and the hacktivist Ramsey. On the other hand, the franchise has a history of redeeming and evolving its villains into being more heroic by now, so it’s plausible the tentative plan is to do something similar with Cipher. If so, the series’ creative will need to be careful and avoid creating another problematic #JusticeForHan situation.

Either way, it makes sense to bring Cipher back in a future Fast & Furious installment (whatever it ends up being). The Fate of the Furious established the character as being a powerful influence in the larger universe, so it would be rather strange if she merely disappeared and was never heard from again. Moreover, Theron is still as big a draw at the box office as ever and an Oscar-winning talent to boot, which is all the more reason to have her reprise Cipher at some point. It’s also possible Universal is waiting to see how Hobbs & Shaw goes over at the box office first, before they commit to any additional spinoffs beyond that. If so, then it might be a while before there’s any fresh information to report about a Cipher spinoff.

Source: THR

  • Hobbs and Shaw Release Date: 2019-08-02 F9: The Fast Saga Release Date: 2021-06-25