Is a 'Fast & Furious' universe in the franchise's future?

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A "little ride" is a little bit of a downplay. Fourteen years later and fans are still all too excited to live their lives a quarter-mile at a time.

But just when we thought the upcoming trilogy would be the end of the franchise, studio insiders are now saying there have been talks between Universal and Vin Diesel about spinoffs and prequels.

The concept likely stems from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where characters get to headline their own movies and appear in other films.

In a way, the "Fast and Furious" franchise already tried this with "Tokyo Drift." The third installment had a different cast of characters, which may be why it has faced the worst box office earnings out of the seven films.

But the supposed flop also gave the series one of its most beloved characters: Han.

Spoiler alert: He dies in "Tokyo Drift," yet the franchise featured him in the next three films of the series –– making where those movies fit in the overall timeline a bit murky, until Jason Statham's character in "Furious 7" tied up that loose end.

Besides Han getting his own spinoff, many fans are hoping The Rock's character Agent Hobbs will get the same treatment.

So is this just the studio milking a franchise for all it's worth?

The films have made, on average, $550 million, with the last movie alone making over $1.5 billion.

But if we've learned anything from the Marvel Universe, it's that letting characters take turns at center stage means more chances to reveal their complexities.

And if the "Fast and Furious" spinoff stories intertwine, Universal Studios will be showing it understands fans don't just want heroes who run and drive and shoot but also the "hows" and "whys" they got to where they are.

Read more at newsy.com.