(L to R) Vin Diesel, Director Louis Leterrier and Rita Moreno on the set of ‘Fast X.’
Preview:
Vin Diesel has announced the next ‘Fast & Furious’ movie.
‘Fast Forever’ will be with us in 2028.
Louis Leterrier will direct the movie.
Like a backfiring jalopy with engine trouble, there have been several frustrating false starts for the next –– and most likely final –– ‘Fast & Furious’ movie.
Despite multiple announcements (including more than one from star, producer and ‘Fast’ cheerleader Vin Diesel) about different dates, budget wrangling and schedule issues have given the potential franchise wrap-up flat tires along the way.
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Now, though, it appears that everyone is on the same page (or maybe dirt track?) as both Diesel and studio backers Universal have announced that the new movie, now called ‘Fast Forever’ will be with us in 2028.
Jason Momoa as Dante in ‘Fast X’, directed by Louis Leterrier.
The typically stunt-heavy final minutes of 2023’s ‘Fast X’ show Diesel’s Dom Toretto driving down the side of a dam and into the water below, as he and his son, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), race to escape a trap set by the villainous Dante (Jason Momoa), who arms a series of bombs. Then the movie cuts to black.
Two credit scenes follow, teasing the returns of Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and Gal Gadot‘s Gisele.
Universal has confirmed that the movie will be screeching into cinemas on March 17, 2028.
(Clockwise, from left) Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Dom (Vin Diesel), Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), Abuelita (Rita Moreno), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, back to camera) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson, back to camera) in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Vin Diesel as Dom in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
The past always has a way of catching up with Dominic Toretto and his gang. This time, someone from Dom’s past shows up in the most unexpected way, putting everyone in danger, including Dom’s son – Little B.
“Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they must confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced. Fueled by revenge, a terrifying threat emerges from the shadows of the past to shatter Dom’s world and destroy everything — and everyone — he loves.”
‘Fast X’ premiered in Rome on May 12, 2023. It opened in theaters domestically on May 19th. The film opened to $67 million and has grossed over $676.9 million worldwide since its release.
The Past Continues To Haunt Dominic Toretto
(L to R) Vin Diesel and Daniela Melchior in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Trouble always seems to find its way to Dominic Toretto’s doorstep, much like when ‘Fate of the Furious’ villain Cypher (Charlize Theron) shows up at Dom’s home badly injured. She tells Dom of a new threat named Dante, who turns out to be the son of drug lord Herman Reyes. Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) appeared in ‘Fast Five’ and met his end after chasing Dom’s team for the vault.
Played by Jason Momoa, Dante seeks revenge for his father’s death and will stop at nothing to hurt Dom – including kidnapping his son Brian. Dante may be the franchise’s most interesting and formidable villain so far – outsmarting Dom in ways we’ve never seen before. Fashionable, unhinged, and outright entertaining to watch, Dante steals every scene he is in.
New Players Entering ‘The Fast & Furious’ Franchise
(Right) Brie Larson is Tess in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Joining the Fast family are Brie Larson (‘Captain Marvel’), Alan Ritchson (‘Dark Web: Cicada 3301’), and Daniela Melchior (‘The Suicide Squad’). Brie Larson portrays Tess, who is revealed to be the daughter of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). She is helping Dom and his team in their fight against Dante Reyes. Alan Ritchson plays Aimes, the new head of The Agency. Daniela Melchior plays Isabel, a Brazilian street racer who is connected to someone from Dom’s past.
There is more than meets the eye with these new characters, so you should check out the movie to find out exactly who they are and if they’re on Team Dom or plotting against them.
Where Can I Watch ‘Fast X’?
Jason Momoa as Dante in ‘Fast X’, directed by Louis Leterrier.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 19th, 2023, and its follow-up is already announced to be released on April 4th, 2025. While the movie is already available on VOD, you can still catch the high-octane action in theaters. ‘Fast X’ is available in IMAX, Dolby Atmos, 3D, and 4DX format, so be sure to check with Moviefone below for showtimes in your area. ‘Fast X’ has a total runtime of 2 hours and 21 minutes, making it the second-longest movie in the franchise.
You now have the option to rent or purchase ‘Fast X’ on VOD for $19.99 or $24.99, respectively. The movie is available on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Direct TV, Google Play, Vudu, Microsoft, YouTube, AppleTV, and Redbox.
As the movie is distributed by Universal Pictures, Peacock subscribers (in both Premium and Premium Plus tiers) will be able to stream ‘Fast X’ once available – likely to be in late August or early September though no official date has been announced by the studio.
No official date has been announced for the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the film, though pre-orders are already available from stores such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.
(Clockwise, from left) Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Dom (Vin Diesel), Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), Abuelita (Rita Moreno), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, back to camera) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson, back to camera) in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Vin Diesel as Dom in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Just when you though the ‘Fast & Furious’ team had really, truly finalized plans to wrap the franchise up (while still, of course, leaving the car door open for future spin-offs etc.) with the already-announced 11th entry as a two parter with this week’s ‘Fast X’ along comes star/producer Vin Diesel teasing that there could well be at least one more movie.
Team ‘Fast’ headed to Rome shortly before the weekend for a big press event to promote the movie (which makes sense, since a chunk of the film takes place in the city).
Interviewed by Fandango about a possible future for the franchise, Diesel said this,
“It’s a really good question. As filmmakers, you want to allow people to enjoy the film without tipping the hat too much. I can say this. Going into making this movie, the studio had asked if this could be a two-parter. And after the studio saw this, part one, they said, could you make ‘Fast X’, the finale, a trilogy?”
Diesel and co-star Michelle Rodriguez wouldn’t be drawn on whether it’ll happen for sure, though Diesel did say, “probably”.
You can see the full video here:
WATCH: On the red carpet in Rome, Italy, did Vin Diesel just confirm that #FastX is the first part of a… trilogy?! Whoa! It all begins in theaters a week from today. Ready, set… go get your tickets! 🚘🎟's —> https://t.co/jO68lUJ5h6pic.twitter.com/2DiJsYkgUz
Of course, even though Diesel has an awful lot of say over developments in the ‘Fast’ world, it’s up to Universal whether this actually happens. But we can certainly see the studio happy to keep its most successful franchise motoring.
Our guess –– and this is purely speculation –– is that executives are waiting to see the box office results of ‘Fast X’ before making any final decision.
Jason Momoa is Dante in ‘Fast X,’ directed by Louis Leterrier.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (who replaced Justin Lin) ‘Fast X’ picks up with Dom and his crew as they look to fend off the pair of big bads — the cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) and her mysterious cohort, Dante (Jason Momoa), who, it turns out, has a link to another previous franchise antagonist, the drug kingpin Reyes, played in ‘Fast Five’ by Joaquim de Almeida.
Dante, as the trailers for ‘Fast X’ have already revealed, is the son of Reyes, and has spent the time since ‘Fast Five’ plotting his revenge against Dom and co.
Dom and the usual gang will need help of a new friend, Tess (Brie Larson), who has her own connections to a supporting ‘Fast’ character.
And original franchise star Paul Walker’s daughter Meadow will appear in the film in a cameo to “honor” the legacy of her late father, as she revealed on social media last week.
‘Fast X’, as mentioned, is due in theaters on Friday. The 11th film (with Leterrier returning) has yet to announce a release date but is likely headed our way in 2025.
(L to R) Jason Momoa and Vin Diesel star in ‘Fast X.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
‘Fast X’ is produced by Universal Pictures, Original Film, One Race, and Perfect Storm Entertainment. It is set to premiere in theaters on May 19th, 2023.
‘Karma’s World’ is a new animated series on Netflix about a young girl who dreams of becoming a hip-hop superstar. The series was created by real-life hip-hop superstar Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Bridges recently talked to Moviefone about his new series.
Moviefone: How did the concept of ‘Karma’s World’ come about?
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges: The concept of ‘Karma’s World’ came about because my now oldest daughter when she was six years old, she used to barge into my home studio where I recorded songs from albums that everyone knows about. She said, “I want to rap too. Daddy, I want to rap.” I’d always kick her out, and she would always come back in. It made me sit her down and talk about if she wanted to do music, she had to talk about what goes on in her life, in her world because daddy talks about what goes on in his life. It occurred to me that there wasn’t that much children’s music that I felt like sounded current, stuff that could compete on the Billboard 100. Not only that, just positive music because a lot of kids, as we know, they like to sing along to the adult stuff.
From there we just started making website characters, songs, and all these different things. Now here we are man, 13, 14 years later, after going through so many different phases perfecting this. That is what inspired this ‘Karma’s World.’ As long as it took, I feel like it’s going to be even more successful, and lasting, and the impact that it’s going to have on the world, so long time coming.
MF: Absolutely. That is so cool. So Karma aspires to be a rapper who changes the world through her music. What kind of impact and influence does music really have in the world that we live in?
Bridges: Oh my goodness. Music brings everyone together. That’s why I’m so happy that this is going to be in over 191 countries because music is a universal language as we know. That’s why I just feel like the music in this is life-changing. I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to it. I think it’s just so trendsetting and so new because we don’t have anything like it. I don’t feel like there’s anything that can be compared to it, original music at that.
MF: That’s true. I heard your style a little bit in the music too. How much were you involved in the music?
Bridges: Oh yeah. I’m very much well involved. I have a team of people that help me out because it’s such a strenuous process. I definitely oversee all the music. I’m definitely involved in the writing process as well. Got to make sure I represent for Karma.
MF: You got to and you did.
Bridges: Thank you.
MF: What advice do you have for young people? Anybody, who, in regard to them wanting to be something in life and believing in themselves and wanting to live out a dream.
Bridges: This is a good example of me saying this took 14 years for me to do. I would say, think about it in the long game, man. It’s all about who wants it the most. Never give up on your hopes and dreams, and continue to work harder and harder at it. Some people are going to give up, but that does not mean that you are that person and, practice makes perfect. I just feel like the more you do something, the better it’s going to become. Just continue trying to get everything you can, give everything you can. Knowing that if you’re helping other people out, then the universe will help you out. It’s all about what goes around, comes around.
‘Karma’s World‘ is available on Netflix on October 15.
It’s hard to look at the 20-year-old ‘The Fast & the Furious’ and see the beginnings of a blockbuster franchise, but here we are. And if the series has moved past illegal street races and into heist and spy movie territory, that’s all for the better. As this rogue’s gallery of street racers has become an unstoppable team of vehicle-based super agents, the movies in the franchise have increasingly raised the stakes for our heroes, physics and reality be damned. And you know what? It’s worked, including the latest chapter ‘F9.’
Where do you go after taking on a tank, a cargo plane, and a submarine? I won’t spoil anything here (although you’ll get some hints from the trailer), but it’s pretty impressive how director and co-writer Justin Lin takes the series to new heights while acknowledging the increasingly insane action sequences our heroes find themselves in.
Our story starts off with a flashback to Dom’s past, as he’s part of his father’s pit crew at what will be turn out to be the senior Toretto’s final race. We’re also introduced to Jakob, Dom’s younger brother. It’s hard to imagine that Dom, always preaching to us about family, has never, even mentioned his brother, but that’s far from the least-believable element in this movie. (To be clear, I’m not complaining about over-the-top elements, but you’ll need to go further than “willing suspension” and actively lock up your disbelief and throw away the key.)
We soon return to the present to see Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) living a bucolic life off the grid with young Brian, Dom’s adorable young son who (of course) is being taught how to fix engines by Dad. Do the Torettos miss all the extreme driving? Of course they do, but Dom claims to have left that in the past. But as an unknown SUV pulls up, Dom & Letty pull out some fairly heavy-duty weaponry and send Brian off to hide; clearly they fear the past hasn’t left them.
Their visitors turn out to be more of the old crew – Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), who are welcomed with open arms. The visitors have come with news that the man that brought them into the spy game, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) has sent them a cryptic S.O.S. message. The message contains coordinates and evidence that an old nemesis, Cypher (Charlize Theron) is involved. Although initially hesitant, Dom joins the rest of the crew on a trip to Central America to find out what happened to Mr. Nobody.
Now that we have buy-in from Dom, the plot can get really get started. The crew’s discovery of mysterious tech leads to gunfights and a wild chase scene through the jungle, which then sets the stage for Jakob Toretto (John Cena) to make an appearance. It’s not a joyful reunion for the Toretto brothers. Jakob, almost as skilled a driver as Dom, is now a rogue secret agent, and makes off with that MacGuffin, leaving the rest of the crew dumbfounded. And now Mia (Jordana Brewster) is involved since, as she reminds Dom, Jakob is her brother too.
The plot then goes into classic James Bond territory; it turns out Jakob is working for Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) the billionaire son of the head of an unnamed state, who plans to use the MacGuffin tech to take over the world. The plot jumps through a few hoops to show us some familiar faces past entries in the franchise, including Lucas Black, Helen Mirren, Shad “Lil’ Bow Wow” Moss, and most notably, Sung Kang as Han. The news of Sung Kang’s return broke a long time ago, but like the sudden discovery of brother Jakob, the story of Han’s reappearance is far from the most unbelievable part of the movie.
As in other long-running franchises, it can be tricky to give all the returning characters enough screen time to satisfy, but Lin manages to give everyone more than simply one moment to shine. In fact, one of the smartest moves he makes is to use the characters almost as a sort of Greek chorus, to comment on the very tropes he’s using in the movie. In one hilarious (and frankly mind-blowing) Gibson’s Roman questions the crew’s repeated survival, almost as if Lin was cribbing from Tom Stoppard’s ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.’ We also get another character saying “if this was a movie, this is the moment when…” and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work. But there are also some moments that give some characters a little more depth. The brief meditation on parenthood from Letty and Mia doesn’t feel forced too forced, mainly because Letty basically admits she’d rather be tearing it up instead of hiding out. And in one of the more inspired choices, we discover that Ramsey doesn’t drive, so obviously she has to get behind the wheel.
Rest assured, that if you came for the spectacle, you won’t be disappointed, and it’s amazing that the filmmakers are still coming up with new things to do with vehicles. This franchise has always made sure to make the cars into co-stars, and on his third outing in this series as cinematographer, Stephen F. Windon, is still using bright and vibrant colors and lighting to make the cars pop, and his framing really gives us a sense of the layout of each location. A trio of editors, Greg D’Auria, Dylan Highsmith, and Kelly Matsumoto, deftly follow multiple characters through each set piece and allow us to see the stakes for each individual without losing sight of the whole or getting confused as to who is doing what. There is one particular shot of Cena looking through iron bars that comes off a bit campy, though.
As much as this movie is a spy story, Lin keeps us invested in the relationship between Dom and Jakob. Flashbacks to Dom’s past will pop up throughout the film, and Lin uses them fairly effectively to support an arc in the brothers’ relationship as the movie progresses. This is absolutely an action movie, but Lin’s past outings in the franchise gives him a familiarity with the characters that helps this movie be a bit more than a just smash-em-up car movie. I may have some minor grumbles about some of Lin’s decisions (especially one of the final shots), but F9 turns out to be one of the better entries in the entire series. There’s also a great mid-credits scene.
For what it’s worth, I’m glad to have seen this on a big screen, although I’ll admit I love every entry in this franchise. I’m glad this one was held until it was safe (or safer) to go to a theater. If you’re open to it, there’s an infectious sense of fun that permeates this movie, and you’ll really feel it if you’re seeing it with other fans at the same time.
