We’ve known that the Fast & Furious franchise is ending for several years now, but the wait for that final chapter goes on. Assuming there are no more setbacks and delay, it should finally happen when Fast & Furious 11, officially titled Fast Forever, is released in 2028. That means, among other things, that we’ll be bidding goodbye to Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, and the actor opened up on social media about the “particular weight” he’s feeling with bringing the Fast Saga to a proper close.
Taking to his Instagram page, Vin Diesel reflected on the 25 years he’s spent working with “writers, crew members, performers” on the Fast & Furious movies. That now includes screenwriter Michael Leslie, whom Variety reported yesterday to be penning Fast Forever. Diesel confirmed Leslie’s involvement with the post’s picture, saying that what the writer has planned for the upcoming movie is a “story with something real beating inside it.” He continued:
There is a particular weight that comes with delivering a finale. A responsibility you feel in your chest, to everyone who gave something to get here, to the audience that stayed. You don’t take that lightly. You take it as fuel. And when you find out you’re going back to Los Angeles… back to the streets where it all began, something clicks into place. The city that made the first film feel alive, still here, still holding. Coming home to close it out right. That’s not logistics. That’s a gift.
The Fast & Furious franchise has come a long way from the first movie in 2001 focusing on street racing and electronics thefts. It’s become one of the most popular action franchises of the 21st century, encompassing not just movies, but also a Netflix subscription-exclusive animated series, theme park attractions, video games and more. So I get why Vin Diesel feels the pressure of making sure Fast Forever ends this era effectively, not just for himself, but the fanbase.
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Taking things back to Los Angeles to honor the franchise’s roots will hopefully be a step in the right direction like he wants. Then there’s the question of how Fast Forever will pick up on Fast X’s cliffhanger ending and wrap up plot threads like Dante Reyes’ revenge mission against Dominic Toretto and his allies, and the return of Gal Gadot’s Gisele Yashar, whom was thought to have died in Fast & Furious 6. At one point, there was supposed to be an interquel movie pitting Jason Momoa’s Dante against Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs between Fast X and Fast & Furious 11, but there’s been no update on that project in years, so I’m assuming (for now) it’s been scrapped.
In addition to Michael Leslie writing Fast Forever’s script, Louis Leterrier is also resuming his directorial duties after taking over from Justin Lin on Fast X. The movie is currently slated for March 17, 2028. We’ll keep you apprised on more updates as they come in, and don’t forget that Fast X can currently be streamed with a Peacock subscription.