Here Comes '5 Fast 5 Furious'

"Ya sell what sells!" That was probably the motto of old fashioned salesmen. They'd say it to their ragamuffin apprentice as an explanation for why all they sold was all-purpose tonic. "Ya sell what sells, kid! And what sells is this miracle tonic!"

That philosophy--which a Google search just informed me actually does exist--still applies today. So what sells for Universal Studios (not Florida)? Fast/Furious movies, obviously. The last chapter of the franchise, the concisely-titled Fast and Furious, was the studio's top-grossing film of 2009, with a worldwide gross of nearly $350 million. And so:

Universal Pictures is hitting the accelerator on a fifth installment of "Fast and Furious," currently being referred to as "Fast Five."

Studio has closed deals with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, director Justin Lin and producer Neal Moritz to return to the franchise, which has become one of the studio's most lucrative.

Chris Morgan is writing "Fast Five," marking the third time he and Lin have teamed for a "Fast and Furious" film. The story finds protags Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) as fugitives being pursued by relentless lawmen.

Lensing will begin later this year for a 2011 release.

The sad part about this news is that it makes The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift feel like even more of an outlier, more of a mistake. As the only Fast/Furious without at least one of the original leads in the starring role, will people disregard the third chapter, forgetting the most valuable lesson it imparted?

NEVER FORGET: if you ain't outta control... you ain't in control.