Craig Fairbrass has addressed the possibility of an eighth Rise of the Footsoldier film – while suggesting there are plenty of other ways the franchise could continue, including prequels, reboots and further spin-offs.

The actor has played notorious real-life Essex criminal Pat Tate across the long-running series, which began back in 2007 and has most recently returned with a seventh entry, Rise of the Footsoldier: Retribution.

Asked by Radio Times whether he already had ideas about where another movie might take Tate following the events of Retribution, Fairbrass said the future would ultimately depend on the new film's performance.

"I leave that to the powers that be," he explained. "So many things have to fall into place. This is quite a big film. I think it will pay off – I'm sure it will – because the reaction is being incredibly positive, from all different types of people.

"So many things have to be in place before they pull the trigger on the next one. If that happens, nobody knows.

"These things have happened organically. It wasn't as if someone said to me 10 years ago, 'We want to sign you up for five movies.'"

When asked whether a future instalment might return to Tate's earlier life in Essex and potentially revisit characters such as Tony Tucker (Terry Stone) and Craig Rolfe (Roland Manookian), Fairbrass said there were a number of possibilities open to the filmmakers.

"I always say to people, you can't make seven films about three geezers snorting cocaine and the Range Rover. You just can't.

"Things have happened for a reason, and here we are now because the films have got bigger and bigger, more explosive, more thrilling and more gripping.

"Who knows? That whole Footsoldier universe, there's so much stuff that could be done. They could reboot it. They could go back to when I was young. They could do another spin-off of other individual characters."

The continued evolution of the series is particularly evident in Retribution, which leans further into action-thriller territory than previous entries.

He also wanted the film to hark back to the kind of classic action cinema he grew up enjoying. "We tried to reinvigorate it. [We thought] ‘let's go back a little bit’ – what made me love action films back in the day, before it all went CGI and visual effects? What was it? And we got those ingredients in there, and people have noticed it and liked it."

The film’s expanded scale is reflected in its plot, which sees Tate travel to Ibiza to avenge the murder of his friend, only to become caught up in something far bigger than a straightforward revenge mission.

His pursuit of those responsible leads him into a high-stakes weapons trafficking operation run by ruthless mercenaries, while the CIA are also monitoring the illicit arms trade – leaving Tate pursued by criminals, hired guns and American agents as his actions begin to disrupt their plans.

Fairbrass said that expanding Tate's world in this way was part of a deliberate effort to increase the scale without losing the grounded quality of the earlier films.

"We said, 'Let's make it more international. Let's bring the Americans in. Let's have mercenaries. Let's make it big and bold.'

"But let's still keep it authentic and real – and have Pat in there, out of his depth!"

The increased action also presented new challenges for Fairbrass, who revealed that Retribution marks the first time he has used a stunt double on a Footsoldier movie.

"This is the first film where I've actually got a double," he said. "At the age I'm at now, doing these films – they're not easy.

"What people don't understand is you have to do it 20, 30 times – the fight scenes, when you're doing that stuff. And obviously I can't jump off a cliff. That's not happening.

"There's loads of stuff where you're using the nimbleness of a younger guy who can just help me."

The 62-year-old also acknowledged the increasingly elastic age gap between himself and the real Tate, who was still in his 30s when he died.

"Realistically, I'm still trying to be Pat Tate, who was in his late 30s," he chuckled. "It could've been an impossible task, but we seem to have slowly drip-fed the fans – and they've accepted it."

The filmmakers have also made a number of tweaks aimed at broadening the franchise's appeal, with Retribution becoming the first Rise of the Footsoldier film to receive a 15 certificate rather than an 18. Early signs suggest that approach may be paying off, with the film securing the series's widest international distribution to date.

"We've been very smart with this. People have actually noticed that the language has been toned down.

"So we're breaking out and becoming a little bit bigger and a bit more mainstream, being accepted for that, which is great. The film itself is very cinematic – it's bigger and bolder than any of the last ones."

For Fairbrass, the enduring appeal of Footsoldier also comes down to serving an audience he believes isn't always catered for by the biggest Hollywood releases.

"I think there's a neglected audience out there," he said. "We're all bombarded with Marvel and all these big, giant movies, but the Brits love a good old crime thriller – homegrown action-adventure.

"Each film has been different, we've upped the ante and they've got bigger and better. We're competing with The Fast and the Furious… on a tiny scale!

"The fans have been incredible with us. We've got a great, loyal fanbase and they love it."

Rise of the Footsoldier: Retribution is in cinemas from Friday 28 August 2026.

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