10 Filmmakers Who Should Direct The Next 'Fast And Furious' Movie

There's a reason MacLaren's name is a staple on any list of directors for major blockbuster projects: she's simply one of the most qualified people working in the industry today. She's thrived in worlds as varied as The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones, keeping a focus on character while still crafting compelling action sequences, dramatic reveals, and moody atmospherics. Plus, series star Michelle Rodriguez recently threatened to bail if the filmmakers don't "show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one," and there's no better way to jumpstart that conversation than to put a qualified female filmmaker in the director's chair. We're still waiting for MacLaren to make the jump into feature films, and considering that there have been multiple instances of directors being thrust into the blockbuster market after directing just one indie movie, it makes sense that MacLaren should at least be in the conversation each time a major release is looking for someone to lead it.

In light of how much this franchise loves family, who better to slide back into the driver's seat than a previous family member? Since F. Gary Gray seems to have taken his name out of contention, Rob Cohen, Justin Lin, and James Wan have all directed Fast movies before and might be willing to return for a victory lap. Universal reportedly wanted Lin back for The Fate of the Furious, so it stands to reason that they'd be looking to fill this new position with someone who's utterly familiar with the ins and outs of this job's requirements. Personally, I'd love to see Lin at least come back for the tenth and presumably final movie in the main Fast saga (the spinoffs will likely continue for a while beyond that), since he was largely responsible for bringing this whole thing back from the brink of obliteration, and I certainly wouldn't mind if he came back for both 9 and 10. But I think we all agree that John Singleton can sit this one out, considering his 2 Fast 2 Furious is the worst movie in the series thus far.

Another regular on lists of this sort, Bigelow would be a fun choice to direct a Fast & Furious movie because she directed the 1991 action classic Point Break, which of course served as the cinematic template for 2001's The Fast and The Furious, the film that kicked off this entire franchise. She can direct the hell out of a foot chase (Point Break's is still one of the best of all time), and though her recent movies have leaned more toward realistic depictions of war and social upheaval (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, Detroit), I have a feeling she'd be able to step into the ludicrous Fast universe and rock our worlds.

Speaking of filmmakers familiar with space, The Wachowskis have already made a space epic of their own with Jupiter Ascending, as well as dabbled in that realm again in their portions of Cloud Atlas. Frankly, anyone who comes up with the idea of a half-man/half-wolf guardian who wears flying shoes and is played by Channing Tatum sounds like they'd be up to the challenge of handling whatever insanity Universal might have in mind for Fast 9. With their Netflix series Sense8 cancelled (though a two-hour finale is on the way), Lana and Lilly may be on the lookout for a new project, and they'd definitely be able to tackle the requisite action from a fresh, dynamic perspective while also keeping the characters and their relationships front and center.

In my mind, Trachtenberg is one of the most likely candidates on this list. The filmmaker made waves with his stellar debut feature 10 Cloverfield Lane last year, and has been working with Fast & Furious writer/producer Chris Morgan on a time travel thriller called Crime of the Century for years now. Could that connection pay off with a detour to the Fast-verse? He'd likely be cheaper than a big name director, but they'd certainly get the best bang for their buck because 10 Cloverfield Lane is a crackling, suspenseful, expertly directed piece of work; I'd love to see what Trachtenberg can do with a larger budget and a big playground like this.