速度与激情9：《速激》系列路在何方(2)

Later this summer, the studio is going to begin building out its monster-movie universe with a reboot of The Mummy, in which Tom Cruise will not only tangle with an Egyptian mummy but Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) himself. The intent is clear: Universal wants to turn characters like Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, the Mummy and the Wolfman into the equivalent of the Marvel or DC cinematic universes. Should that experiment be successful, why not go a step further, and crossover with the Fast and the Furious franchise?
今夏，环球影业将着力打造怪兽电影宇宙系列，推出新《木乃伊》。汤姆克鲁斯在其中将与从古埃及穿越过来的木乃伊公主和Jekyll医生（罗素克劳饰演）发生一系列故事。环球的目的很明显，就是要以吸血鬼、人格分裂者、木乃伊和狼人等角色与漫威和DC的电影宇宙抗衡。这一尝试能成功吗？为什么不再进一步，把《速度与激情》系列也囊括进去呢？

Of course this idea is ridiculous: Squaring off with criminal masterminds is one thing, but doing so with the Wolfman and the Mummy is entirely different. But even in the eight Fast and the Furious films, the action is rarely less than insane, not to mention the operatic twists and turns of the character dynamics. These people have gone from rogue drivers stealing electronics to government agents working to stop a nuclear war. In 2001, when Vin Diesel and Paul Walker were racing each other so the former could evade arrest from the LAPD, facing off against Universal’s monsters would have seemed insane. In 2017, it’s a lot closer to reality. (The series’ longtime producer, Neal H. Moritz, also produces the 21 Jump Street films, which at one time was going to crossover with Men in Black. Anything can happen.)
这样想当然很可笑，和犯罪天才周旋是一回事，但和狼人、木乃伊那就完全是另一回事了。然而在8部《速度与激情》里，故事情节已走向疯狂，更别提戏剧化的情节转折和无厘头的人物变化了。这些人已经从偷电子设备的无赖飙车党晋级成了为阻止核战而努力奋斗的政府特工了。2001年，迪塞尔为逃脱洛杉矶警方的追捕，和保罗上演了一出亡命追逐，那时看来，环球影业的怪兽世界着实荒诞。而到了2017年，疯狂的幻想却成为了现实。（该系列制片人Neal H. Moritz推出的《龙虎少年队》系列曾与《黑衣人》系列实现过融合。真是一切皆有可能。）

Think of it: This could sate Diesel’s clear desire to indulge in genre fare like The Chronicles of Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy. Plus, it would be a hoot to see Dom and Luke and Letty battle the Wolfman. The logistics of how it all goes down might seem shaky, but a world where a hacker can take control of cars, missiles and submarines could easily be a world where monsters lurk beneath the surface.
想一想：这样做可以满足迪塞尔沉浸在《星际传奇2》和《银河护卫队》这类票房大卖的影片中的愿望，而且主角们大战狼人绝对有意思。如此逻辑或许无理可寻，但是在一个黑客就能轻易控制汽车、导弹，甚至潜艇的世界里，怪兽藏匿其中也就不足为奇了。

The challenge is set for F&F writer Chris Morgan, the rest of the crew and castmembers like Diesel. Topping the action in The Fate of the Furious will be difficult, and bringing the characters into a shared universe the right way would be even more challenging, as Dominic Toretto and his family must be more than pawns in a larger realm. It won’t be easy, but these movies thrive on the impossible. Truly thinking outside the box is the only way to top what’s come before.
这些对于编剧克里斯摩根、制作班底，以及迪塞尔等主演来说是一个挑战。为今后的三部曲打造精彩的情节会很难，如何成功地把角色们带入电影宇宙也极具挑战，唐老大和他的家人在更大的世界中也不能只是反派的筹码。而虽然困难重重，但是《速激》系列就是在种种不可能中成长起来的。打破常规或是再上一层的唯一路径。