Sequel Bits: ‘Fast And Furious 9,’ ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,’ ‘Bumblebee,’ And More
In today’s edition of Sequel Bits:
Michelle Rodriguezis considering leaving theFast and Furiousfranchise. “F8 is out digitally today, I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one,” sherecently said, “Or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise.” These films do put their male characters at the forefront, usually providing them with the biggest arcs, the craziest action hero moments, and most of the jokes. WhenScreen Rantasked directorF. Gary Grayabout Rodriguez’s recent comment, he replied:
Theron’s character, Cypher, wasn’t a very substantial role. The villain often spent her time behind computer monitors, threatening Dom again and again, and was never too involved in the action. It was far from the film or the series' juiciest or most fun role.
A role that gaveCharlize Theronsomething great to do in her every scene?Mad Max: Fury Road. One of the threeMad Maxscripts directorGeorge Millerco-wrote was a Furiosa prequel. Theron toldVarietyshe’d play the character again, but her and Warner Bros. are still waiting on the call from Miller:
I’d love to. There were three scripts. They were written as back stories to Max’s character and to Furiosa’s character. But at the end of the day, this thing lives and breathes with [director] George [Miller]. I think Warner Bros. knows that. We are all waiting for him to show us the way.
As for whether she’ll return to theFast and Furiousfranchise, she’s still not sure, but plans on discussing it with Universal.
This is a wrap for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom! What a journey! Thank you to everyone that made it possible.#JurassicWorldFallenKingdompic.twitter.com/dtMsNDvZwP
— JA Bayona (@FilmBayona)August 07, 2025
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdomhas wrapped shooting. To celebrate, directorJA Bayonashared the video above ofChris Prattenjoying himself, hopefully in character as Owen in a scene we’ll see in this movie, due out next summer. The film’s co-writer and producer,Colin Trevorrow(The Book of Henry), congratulated the cast and crew following their hard work and shared a great pic of Bayona onTwitter:
Howard posteda nice photoof her and Pratt from the set as well:
Day #60 and that’s a wrap!Honestly, I ugly cried. Bye, Hawaii!#jurassicworld#jurassicworld2#JurassicWorldFallenKingdompic.twitter.com/W7gyVShHWa
— Bryce Dallas Howard (@BryceDHoward)July 04, 2025
One 2018 summer movie that’s about ready to start shooting is going to get a helping hand from the state of California.Travis Knight’sBumblebeespinoff, which is set in the 1980s and starsHailee Steinfeld, is getting a huge tax break. The biggest the state has offered so far, in fact. According to theLA Times, the film is getting a $22 million tax credit. That’s $4 million more than what Disney got onA Wrinkle in Time. Knight is going to shoot all of the movie in Los Angeles and Northern California.
Taking a complete 180-turn from the Hasbro film, here’s another movie hoping to keep its franchise alive and well:Jigsaw. The latestSawmovie is going to have a presence at next week’s San Diego Comic-Con. In anticipation for a panel featuring its two very clever and talented directors,MichaelandPeter Spierig, Lionsgate has released the first poster for the sequel, which comes out onOctober 27. TheDaybreakersandPredestinationdirectors being behind the latest sequel certainly raises my expectations.
