The “Fast and Furious” franchise, which has captivated audiences since its inception in 2001, may not be coming to an end as soon as fans had anticipated.
Universal Pictures, the studio behind the high-octane series, has billed the upcoming film “Fast X” as the beginning of the end of the saga. Originally, the plan was to split the finale into two films, “Fast X” and the subsequent 11th installment.
However, franchise mastermind Vin Diesel inadvertently revealed at the “Fast X” world premiere in Rome that the conclusion might actually span across three films, potentially leading to an unexpected 12th “Fast and Furious” movie.
Diesel disclosed, “Going into making this movie, the studio asked if this could be a two-parter. And after the studio saw this one, they said, ‘Could you make ‘Fast X,’ the finale, a trilogy?'” This revelation was further supported by franchise veteran Michelle Rodriguez, who remarked, “It’s three acts in any story.”
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When the red carpet host probed Diesel and Rodriguez about confirming the existence of a third movie, Diesel playfully evaded the question, stating, “You’re gonna get me in trouble here.”
“Fast X” introduces Jason Momoa as the villainous Dante Reyes, a character seeking revenge against the Fast family due to the loss of his own kin during the events of “Fast Five.”
Rodriguez had previously hinted to Vanity Fair that “Fast X” concludes with a massive cliffhanger, seamlessly setting the stage for the subsequent film. Until now, fans had assumed that the 11th installment would serve as the grand finale of the franchise.
Rodriguez shared, “It is not really an ending, but it’s also like, ‘You can’t do this to us. We’re your die-hard fans, you can’t do this to us!'” She further expressed, “You’re going to feel so cheated in a way, but then so gratified and excited about what’s to come. I can’t divulge more than that, but get ready for a shocker. After 23 years of shooting these things, it’s really tough at this stage to shock me, and they got me good.”
Universal has already enlisted the talents of screenwriters Christina Hodson (“The Flash,” “Bumblebee”) and Oren Uziel (“The Lost City,” “22 Jump Street”) to pen the script for the 11th “Fast and Furious” movie, which is the second part of “Fast X.” The film will be directed by Louis Leterrier, the helmer of “Fast X.”
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Fans can anticipate the release of “Fast X” in theaters nationwide on May 19. As the saga takes an unexpected turn towards a trilogy, the future of the “Fast and Furious” franchise becomes all the more thrilling and uncertain.
