It’s the battle of the big-studio franchises! Universal announced on Friday that it had moved the release of the ninth “Fast & Furious” movie from April 10, 2020, to May 22, 2020.
That puts it smack up against Warner Bros.’ pricey monster mashup, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” as well as Paramount’s kiddie-skewing latest “The SpongeBob Movie.”
Justin Lin is attached to direct the ninth (and tenth) installment in the fast-moving franchise, with Jordana Brewster, a.k.a. Mia Toretto, also returning to the series opposite her onscreen brother (Vin Diesel). Mia was last seen in “Furious 7,” retiring from the family business to start a family with Brian O’Connor, played by the late Paul Walker.
The new “Furious” squares off against another pricey studio franchise: “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the fourth installment of the Legendary and Warner Bros. cinematic universe, which Adam Wingard will direct.
Demian Bichir, Alexander Skarsgard and Brian Tyree Henry have signed on to star in the new film, which follows this May’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” with Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown.
“Godzilla” brought in $529 million globally after it was released in 2014. “Kong: Skull Island” was released March 10, 2017, and grossed more than $565 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, the eight “Fast & Furious” films have collectively grossed more than $5 billion worldwide. “Hobbs & Shaw,” a spinoff film from director David Leitch starring series regulars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, drives into theaters on Aug. 2.