Michelle Rodriguez joins Fast & Furious 9 after female writer is hired

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The FAST & FURIOUS has seen many strong female characters come and go, like Gal Gadot’s Gisele, Jordana Brewster’s Mia Torreto and soon to be seen in HOBBS & SHAW, Vanessa Kirby in HOBBS & SHAW. That being said, they’ve never quite gotten the same character development as stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and more, but Michelle Rodriguez was hoping to change that for the ninth outing. The star took to Instagram in 2017 to hint that she may leave the franchise should they not “show some love to the women of the franchise,” but luckily that won’t have to be the case as the series has brought on a female writer for FAST & FURIOUS 9.

[SEE MORE]

Per an article in Bloomberg, Rodriguez has signed on for the ninth FAST & FURIOUS outing as Letty Oritz, which she did after securing an agreement with Universal to bring on a female writer for the next installment. There was no word who the writer is, but across the whole series has there ever been a woman hired to work on a F&F script or direct one of the movies.

“I felt like there was not enough of a female voice in the franchise,” Rodriguez said May 16 at the Bloomberg Future of Equality Summit in London. “You should evolve with the times, not just pander to certain demographics that are stuck in the past."

[SEE MORE]

Rodriguez has been with the series starting with the first outing in 2001 but steered clear of the following two movies. She came back for the 2009 fourth outing FAST & FURIOUS and has been in each movie ever since as they have entered supreme blockbuster territory as one of Universal’s flagship series. Along with a female writer added to FAST 9, writers Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet have been hired to bring to life a female-centered spin-off of the series.

While the movies have certainly evolved over the years, elevating the team from petty electronics thieves into full-blown world-savers akin to the Avengers, the women of the franchise haven’t gotten the same attention as the men. Rodriguez is absolutely correct in saying they need to have their development expanded, and she should be commended for taking such a hard stance for that change. 

The next entry in the FAST & FURIOUS series, HOBBS & SHAW, is in theaters August 2.