Eva Mendes Is Coming Out Of Retirement To Join A Huge Movie Franchise
Could Eva Mendes be coming out of retirement and returning to a massive action franchise? One of the key players thinks it's possible
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It can be easy to forget that Evan Mendes once had a role in one of the biggest action franchises around. It didn’t last long and was before the whole thing really took off into the stratosphere, but there was a moment when Mendes was a part of the Fast & Furious universe. Almost 20 years and a Mendes retirement later and it would seem that her time with the Fast folks was a one-and-done. But not so fast. According to We Got This Covered, Vin Diesel rang in on Mendes getting back into the mix, and apparently, it’s on the table. We might get her Monica Fuentes character back up on the screen.
In the interview, Vin Diesel was coy about the possibility of Eva Mendes returning to the Fast & Furious franchise. He mentions that there are still plenty of stories to tell with this group who’ve been steadily adding both friends and enemies over the years. Here’s what Diesel said about Mendes maybe returning:
“We’ll just wait for 10. Let’s just say, the fact that you guys know that the studio is saying, ‘We can’t cover all this ground that needs to be covered in just one movie’. You can only imagine what is to come.”
In the interview, Diesel is referring to Fast & Furious 10, a movie that is way off the distance as of right now. Heck, we haven’t even gotten F9 up there yet. But Eva Mendes returning to the action would be par for the course for this franchise. They’ve worked overtime to make sure others who even appeared very, very dead in the past were given some kind of crazy story that had them not only kept alive but in the mix as well. Could the same be for Mendes if she made a return?
Eva Mendes appeared in only one movie so far, 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious playing Monica Fuentes an undercover agent that helps Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner take down drug lord Carter Verone. This film didn’t feature Vin Diesel and while technically the second in the actual Fast & Furious timeline, isn’t often held in the same relative regard as the other films in the franchise. It was later with Fast & Furious and then Fast Five when things really started heading toward the moon for this group at the box office.
As for Eva Mendes, if she were to return to the Fast & Furious franchise it would represent a major shift in how she’s approached working on the screen of late. That is to say, she hasn’t. Mendes has all but retired from acting without a credited role since 2014’s Lost River. She’s said that since becoming a mother a career in Hollywood wasn’t part of her main focus. So she’s stepped away and the move might be for good.
As for the Fast & Furious franchise, getting Eva Mendes back would be nice, but far from necessary. The last two full-cast movies have scored well above $1 billion each at the box office and this summers’ F9 is lining up to be massive as well. It’s hitting screens on June 25th of this summer with plenty of the same faces involved and some surprises as well. For a non-comic-book franchise, this is as big as it gets. Maybe we could see Eva Mendes back involved after all.
