Why Does Universal Regret Sending 'F9' to Space?

Look, we've all been there. You're deep into a script, the deadline is looming, and someone in the room throws out an idea that's so crazy it just might work.

I am always proud when those things make it to the screen, but I can see that if you were in a franchise, it may only make the subsequent movies harder to make.

And for the team behind F9, that's exactly what happened.

Let's dive in.

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The Genie is Out of the Bottle

In a recent interview, NBCUniversal's Donna Langley said the decision to go full-on sci-fi with the franchise was a "mistake." She continued, “I’m sorry that we sent them into space. We can never get that genie back.”

Langley said later:

“We knew that we had to figure out how to grow it. We made a conscious decision to pivot to a sort of globe-trotting heist scenario. Vin was an early adopter of talking to his fans directly. As we saw that growing, we saw where the conversation was going. We’ve always been very fan-first on the Fast franchise.”

Now, I actually think sending them to space was a ton of fun and exactly what fans wanted at the time, but I can see as a franchise how hard it would be to build on that idea.

And Langley also said something that I think is a crucial lesson for all of us writers and filmmakers out there. She said that a huge part of the Fast & Furious franchise's success is that they listen to the fans.

This whole thing started as a movie about street racing in Los Angeles. Now it's a globe-trotting spy saga with a body count that would make James Bond blush.

That's because the fans wanted bigger, crazier stunts, and the studio delivered.

But as we enter the 11th and 12th installments of the movie, I do think you can't put the genie in the bottle, and those budgets are so large now, it can be hard to turn a profit.

You almost wish they had saved space for now, but like she said, you can never go back.

I am excited to see what they find moving forward.

Summing It All Up

At the end of the day, the F9 space car is a hilarious and ridiculous moment in cinema history. But it's also a valuable lesson in the importance of taking risks and listening to your audience.

If you're a filmmaker looking to do something similar, consider studying the genre of things you're working on. That can teach you tropes audiences expect to see.

Let me know in the comments below.