Michelle Rodriguez Threatens To Leave 'Fast And The Furious'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michelle Rodriguez is threatening to leave "The Fast and the Furious" franchise unless its female characters are treated differently.

Rodriguez wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that she hopes filmmakers decide "to show some love to the women of the franchise" in its next installment. If not, she says, she "just might have to say goodbye."

F. Gary Gray directed the eighth film in the series, "The Fate of the Furious," and is defending the treatment of women in that movie.

He tells Business Insider he "thought the combination of female characters was pretty strong." Gray notes that Charlize Theron played the antagonist in the film and Helen Mirren made a cameo.

The ninth film in the franchise is due out in 2019.

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