Summary
Michelle Rodriguez missed out on having her perfectFast & Furiousfranchise replacement with a disappointing project. Rodriguez has been near the forefront of theFast & Furiousmoviessince the beginning as Letty Ortiz, but it has been more so in the more recent installments that she’s been able to prove her skills as an action movie lead. The combination of her fighting and driving abilities, paired with the warmth and ferocity she brings to Letty, has made Rodriguez one of the franchise’s biggest stars.
Just like how Letty’s motto in theFast & Furiousfranchise is to be a “ride or die” for Dom, Rodriguez has been incredibly loyal to the popular series. She has had roles in other major franchises, likeAvatarorResident Evil, but she’s never really looked for a franchise that could overtakeFast & Furious. With the future of the Fast Saga unclear and an end coming, it only made sense to look elsewhere for other opportunities. This led to Rodriguez finding a property that could have been a greatFast & Furiousreplacementif everything went right.
How Old Letty Is In Every Fast & Furious Movie
Michelle Rodriguez has played the street racer Letty Ortiz throughout the Fast & Furious movies at different stages of her career as an action star.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievesappeared to be the ideal replacement franchise for Michelle Rodriguez asFast & Furiousapproaches its ending. The 2023 movie brought the wildly popular tabletop RPG to live-action and was meant to be the start of a massive cinematic universe. Rodriguez was one of the main stars of the first movie, as she played the warriorHolga inDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. She stood out among her co-stars thanks to her action movie experience, proving that this was a role she could get a lot of mileage out of in future installments.
Dungeons & DragonsandFast & Furioushave very little in common based on their actual premises and settings, butthey are both ultimately big-budget, over-the-top action movie franchises.Dungeons & Dragonsadds in fantasy elements and more CGI, but it’s primary goal is entertainment and giving audiences a good time with a diverse cast and unbelievable adventures. That is precisely whatFast & Furiousaims to do with each of its entries, with even the mixture of humor and action lining up between them.
Given the popularity of theDungeons & Dragonsfranchise away from movies, it was thought to be something that could have major box office appeal. This would also bode well for the franchise to act as Michelle Rodriguez’sFast & Furiousreplacement, as those films almost always perform well worldwide. It would not be ridiculous to think thataDungeons & Dragonsmovie could one day reach the heights ofFast & Furious' highest-grossing moviesby essentially becoming a more fantastical version of the high-octane series.
Honor Among Thieves' Box Office Means A Sequel Probably Won’t Happen
The First D&D Movie Did Not Hit
The bad news for Michelle Rodriguez is that theDungeons & Dragonsfranchise is not likely to get off the ground now.Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' box officewas one of the biggest disappointments in 2023. The movieonly made $208 million worldwidedespite carrying a budget of $150 million or higher. This means thatHonor Among Thieveswas a box office bomb and likely lost Paramount money without factoring in additional revenue from digital or physical copies of the film.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 2has not made any significant progress since the first film’s box office fate was sealed. Chris Pine and others have remained optimistic that a sequel could happen if a lower budget can be worked out. However, Paramount has alreadycanceled plans for aDungeons & Dragonslive-action TV showfollowingHonor Among Thieves' performance. It appears the studio is willing to let the current iteration of the franchise die. Even ifDungeons & Dragonsgets new content in the future,anHonor Among Thievessequel is not expected to come.
Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 2 - Will It Happen? Everything We Know About The D&D Sequel
The success of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has made a sequel possible, but what do we know about its cast, story, and release date?
Michelle Rodriguez Will Need A New Franchise After Fast & Furious Ends
Fast 11 Is The Final Movie
Normally,Dungeons & Dragonsnot becoming a major franchise would not be a major cause for concern for Michelle Rodriguez since she has theFast & Furiousmovies to fall back on. The fact that the mainfranchise is ending withFast 11changes that. This means there is only one more movie where audiences are guaranteed to see Rodriguez play Letty Ortiz. A second is possible if the long-rumored all-femaleFast & Furiousspinoff ever happens and includes her. For now, 2025 or 2026 could mark the end of theFast & Furiousfranchise.
An all-female Fast & Furious movie was first teased in 2019
WheneverFast & Furiousdoes end, Rodriguez must find a new franchise to be part of. Marvel, DC,Star Wars, and others could come calling once her schedule is freed up without commitments to the Fast Saga. Rodriguez could also look at working with Universal more and joinJurassic World,The Purge, orBourneto continue theFast & Furiouspartnership. She could even return to working with Paramount on new installments of major franchises likeTerminator,Transformers,Mission: Impossible, orG.I. JoeafterDungeons & Dragonsdid not work out.
