Universal Pictures execs knew they had something in the “Furious” franchise way before the recent box office numbers corroborated their suspicions. The film earned a record $146 million over its opening weekend.

In the current environment of successful moving making, screenwriter Chris Morgan (who also penned the last three sequels and the unrelated “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”) has thrown in a few hints to pique viewer interest for a “Furious 8.”

Morgan didn’t kill off the main antagonist of this current offer, played well by film veteran Kurt Russell.  In his role as a CIA operative, the gang–minus the late Paul Walker–will have as many opportunities to go on new adventures as Russell once did when he was the poster boy for several Walt Disney movies in the 60s and 70s.

In “Furious 7,” Vin Diesel’s character even noted that Russell’s “Mr. Nobody” will be a factor in continuing in the future.

Fans can also look to the potential for more drama from Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty and Diesel’s Dom, or some added intrigue with Nathalie Emmanuel’s Ramsey character. Plus, there was twist at the end of the film that suggested a sequel.

Morgan has been handed a blank canvas and has been able to put the franchise through an entire successful and profitable re-invention from a street-racing series to a globe-trotting, action one.

The cast is fairly young and just as amenable. Serendipity. It’s obvious this franchise is built on the same stuff that carried the James Bond series from 1962 to its current, successful standing.

Whatever direction Morgan takes the “Furious” franchise, the goals of the execs at Universal Pictures are lofty and so they’ll probably give the scribe as much time as he needs.  An audience will be in the stands waiting for the next ride.