The Kidd here...

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I figured I'd hand-deliver some love to you, in the form of a sweet scoop of awesome concerning the future of the FAST & FURIOUS franchise.

It shouldn't surprise anyone once Universal Pictures comes out with their denial on what you're about to read, and I certainly don't blame them for trying to put out the fire, because what you're about to read is not only news on FAST & FURIOUS 7 but this summer's FAST & FURIOUS 6 as well. This is not only how those two movies, which, for a little while, had been rumored to potentially shoot back-to-back, tie together into one cohesive storyline, but the big reveal at the end of FAST & FURIOUS 6 that then propels the series forward into the next film.

So...

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

This is your warning. If you don't want to know who is set to play the villain in FAST & FURIOUS 7 yet, or you don't want to know how FAST & FURIOUS 6 concludes, then turn around and go out the same way you came in. I cannot stress this enough to you. If you want to know nothing until May, read on no further.

* * * * * 3 * * * * * 2 * * * * * LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK!! * * * * * 1 * * * * *

Okay... commence spoilers...

At the end of FAST & FURIOUS 6, the crew has helped Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) in dispatching of Luke Evans' Owen Shaw, earning their full pardons, enabling them to return back home, with Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) all seemingly ready to live the rest of their lives free and happily ever after.

Now this is where the big reveal comes in. As it was structured when I cemented this information, the following sequence was placed immediately after that peaceful ending, but it's entirely possible that it may be shifted to occur sometime during the end credits, much like the reveal of Letty still being alive was during FAST FIVE.

We then see a pair of hands on a steering wheel, with Japanese suddenly coming across a police scanner in the car. In addition, looking around the car, we see that the inside of this particular S-Class has been reinforced for some reason. The scanner puts out the call for all units to respond to a high-speed chase taking place between an orange and black Mazda RX-7 and a grey Nissan 350Z, and this suped-up Mercedes floors it, taking off from its parked position.

This mysterious driver monitors the chase from a parallel road before geting ahead of the pursuit. At this point, he heads down a street on his left at an incredibly high rate of speed. Upon seeing the RX-7 approaching the coming intersection, the driver floors it, timing his entry into the intersection to slam right into the side of the Mazda, sending it rolling over upside-down, as the S-Class appears only minimally damaged.

This mystery driver then steps out of the vehicle, and it is now that we finally learn who is behind the wheel...

Are you ready for it...?

JASON STATHAM!!

Statham, playing Owen Shaw's older brother Ian, walks up to the RX-7 and over towards the driver of the vehicle, which we now see is Han (Sung Kang).

BAM!! DOUBLE WHAMMY!!

We now see that we are right smack in the middle of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT.

Statham tosses his brother's SAS dog tags into the car, next to the trapped and helpless Han, and, as he walks away, he pulls out his cell and makes a call, calling Dom. Very briefly, as Han's car explodes in the background, much as it did in TOKYO DRIFT, Statham's Shaw warns Dom that he doesn't know him, but he's about to... and, as he walks into the gathering crowd unnoticed, FAST & FURIOUS 6 ends, and we're right on the doorstep to where FAST & FURIOUS 7 will take off.

Now, if you'll remember... Statham was reportedly up for the villainous role of Owen Shaw for this summer's film before he turned down the offer. Well, that wasn't entirely true, now was it? Statham simply accepted a smaller part this time around to build to his much bigger and more established inclusion for the seventh film in the series, which now looks to put the FAST & FURIOUS crew back on the run in some respects, as Statham gives chase, seeking revenge for what happens to his younger brother in #6.

And, as a bonus, TOKYO DRIFT has finally been connected to the rest of the series, answering the question of just how far into the future it took place in relation to the other films. We now know it is between 6 and 7.

There you have it. Statham in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise... that's some pretty exciting stuff.

-Billy Donnelly

"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"

BillyTheKidd@aintitcool.com

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