The Greatest Showman #695 - The Future Is Uncertain

This time, Renly departed from the production of the "Fast and Furious" sequel, and Warner Bros. greeted him with grand gestures of etiquette.

In the meantime, "Fast and Furious 6" was thriving. Universal Pictures had made significant moves, first announcing that Michelle Rodriguez was officially returning for the sixth installment. Then came the contract renewals of key actors like Jordana Brewster, Gal Gadot, and Sung Kang.

Universal Pictures also revealed plans to film both the sixth and seventh installments together, increasing the budget from $125 million to $160 million per film, officially positioning the series as a super commercial blockbuster.

In addition, Justin Lin completed his contract renewal to direct the sixth film. With the script nearly finished, the entire crew was ready to begin production.

As the awards season approached, both Killing Samsara and Fast and Furious 6 garnered attention, fueled by Renly's involvement and the massive success of Fast and Furious 5, which had grossed over $300 million in North America. The buzz surrounding these projects sparked intense discussions.

On the surface, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures seemed content with their progress, and the actors had no objections. However, major media outlets were divided.

Some media outlets, like Us Weekly, supported Renly and Universal Pictures, framing the situation as a win-win. They argued that Renly, as one of the fastest-rising actors in recent years, had already proven his acting chops. After his role in Passion/Love 5, he needed more opportunities to showcase his commercial appeal, not just as a supporting character but as a leading man. This was crucial for Renly's future career development, helping to establish his market value in both commercial and artistic spheres.

Market value, in this context, referred to an actor's influence within the industry. Commercial work played a significant role, but artistic projects were equally important. Focus Pictures, for example, was preparing an art film with the potential to compete for Oscars, and they needed an actor with both exceptional acting skills and a public relations advantage—actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, or potentially, Renly Hall.

Previously, Renly had appeared in art films produced by independent companies, with limited options. But now that his commercial value was being recognized, opportunities in artistic projects were beginning to open up. Jennifer Lawrence followed a similar path, first taking on a supporting role in X-Men and later leading The Hunger Games franchise, which accelerated her rise to stardom.

Killing Samsara had been revealed only as a sci-fi action film, but that was enough. Sci-fi action films were essential for actors aspiring to reach the top of Hollywood, drawing in both mainstream and niche audiences. For Renly, this was a no-brainer. The same could be said for his involvement in Fast and Furious 6.

In the five previous Fast and Furious films, no single actor had appeared in every installment. Even in the later films, there were notable cast changes. The series had relied more on the thrills of drag racing and popcorn action than on any one actor's star power. Renly's role as Hobbs had added a new layer to the film, but the franchise's success had always stemmed from maintaining fresh cast dynamics and thrilling content.

As Gavin Hunter from Us Weekly concluded, both Killing Samsara and Fast and Furious 6 held promise and were worth looking forward to. His viewpoint was supported by several other outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Post, and New York Post. However, the media at large leaned toward the opposing view, with influential voices like Cornell McGregor of Entertainment Weekly leading the charge.

Cornell criticized Fast and Furious 6, arguing that the success of the previous film owed much to the chemistry between Renly and Vin Diesel. The decision to replace Renly with Dwayne Johnson and Luke Evans seemed misguided. The series had never been known for its strong character development, but the addition of Hobbs in the fifth film had elevated the movie. Losing that character, in Cornell's view, was a misstep, leading the series back to its old formula.

Cornell also drew comparisons to the failures of previous Hollywood franchises, such as Jurassic Park 3 and Fast and Furious 2, asserting that Universal Pictures had failed to learn from its mistakes. According to him, Hollywood was notorious for mishandling sequels.

He argued that letting go of Hobbs was like Orlando Bloom abandoning the role of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings—a pivotal role with significant fan support. For Renly, whose career was still developing, such a move was reckless. He should have followed the example set by Jennifer Lawrence, steadily building his career with supporting roles before transitioning to leading parts.

Cornell's critiques extended to Killing Samsara, questioning the project's potential for success. The novel it was based on was obscure, with little recognition in the United States, and the sci-fi genre was notoriously difficult to succeed in. Without a top director, a strong script, or an established cast, the film was at high risk of failure.

Ultimately, Cornell labeled Renly's decision to abandon Fast and Furious 6 in favor of Killing Samsara as the "dumbest" move of his career.