The Furious Is Getting a Sequel Before It Even Hits Theaters
The original scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes — now the sequel is gunning to outdo it.
Right, so as if the hype around 'The Furious' wasn’t deafening enough, word’s already circulating about a sequel—even though the first film hasn’t landed in cinemas just yet. Given the amount of buzz it generated at the Toronto International Film Festival (100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, if you’re keeping score) and the fact that it smashes together bits of 'John Wick', 'Taken', and 'The Raid', this probably shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. Still, it’s a bit mad to see sequel talk before punters have even had a chance to see the real thing.
Who’s Who and What’s What
The stars at the centre of all this chaos are Xie Miao—who since 'My Father Is a Hero' has largely flown under the radar—and Joe Taslim, a proper action legend these days, thanks to turns in 'Mortal Kombat II' and 'The Night Comes For Us'. They’re joined by a whole row of hard-as-nails action vets from films like 'Triple Threat' and that Netflix thing 'The Brothers Sun'. The film’s helmed by Tanigaki Kenji, who’s made the jump from action choreographer to proper director after stints on 'Raging Fire' and 'Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In'.
The plot isn’t breaking much new ground, but it’s all about the execution: a fairly ordinary tradesman’s kid gets snatched by a crime syndicate, at which point he transforms into an absolute demolition machine. Classic revenge stuff, by the sound of it—and by all accounts, very well done.
Critical Darling in Waiting
After premiering at TIFF last September, critics absolutely lost their minds for this one—enough so that it’s been called both ‘one of the greatest action thrillers of all time’ and a ‘new action classic’. Not much subtlety there; the praise has been practically radioactive.
The first film is due out in cinemas on 12 June 2026, and it’s honestly rare these days to see this amount of anticipation before release. (That 100% Rotten Tomatoes mark probably helps.)
Sequel Rumbles
Edko Films’ Bill Kong—the man behind 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'House of Flying Daggers', and 'Fearless', if you need reminding—has already thrown a bit of petrol on the fire by confirming they’re having proper conversations about a sequel before we’ve even seen part one. He’s quoted as saying:
"I can promise you one thing, that if there's going to be a sequel, it will be a better film than the first one."
That’s a bold claim, although he did hedge with a hefty ‘if’. Realistically though, if the box office ends up anywhere near the critical reaction, even a passing interest becomes a full-on sequel greenlight.
Who Would Be Back?
The cast is stuffed with folk who’ve made a career out of not surviving to the credits, so who actually returns is anyone’s guess. Xie Miao and Joe Taslim are the likely bets. Taslim, in particular, plays an investigative journalist, so you could easily see him swept into another messy missing persons tale for a sequel.
As for the rest of it—no official sequel announcement yet, and no one’s tipping their hand about which characters are even left standing.
- Title: The Furious
- Key Cast: Xie Miao (My Father Is a Hero), Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat II, The Night Comes For Us), plus talent from 'The Raid', 'Triple Threat', 'The Brothers Sun'
- Director: Tanigaki Kenji (Raging Fire, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In)
- Producer: Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Fearless)
- Release Date: 12 June 2026
- Premiere & Reception: TIFF 2023, 100% Rotten Tomatoes, rave reviews
- Sequel Status: Discussions happening, nothing locked in, but likely if the first film smashes it