Fast & Furious 11 isn't filming after all, despite what Vin Diesel may have hinted. Almost three years after Fast X left fans on a major cliffhanger, Fast Forever (formerly Fast X: Part II) is still fueling up to start filming. The blockbuster was originally slated for April 2025 and has recently been moved to March 17, 2028, after concerns that it might be scrapped altogether. Currently, Fast 11 is in safe hands with Fast X director Louis Leterrier returning to helm a script from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie.
Recently, Vin Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto, seemingly unveiled the first good news for Fast & Furious fans in some time on Instagram. The actor stood on set next to Toretto's Dodge Charger and thanked the audience, declaring that "incredible crews are working" to bring the Fast & Furious franchise's final chapter to life, prompting many to conclude that production had begun.
In a strange turn of events, it appears Fast & Furious 11 hasn't started filming after all, according to Collider's Steven Weintraub. The prominent film reporter confidently declared on X that "Universal is NOT shooting" the next Fast & Furious movie yet, as Louis Leterrier is currently preoccupied with another project:
"FYI, sorry to say, but Universal is NOT shooting the new 'Fast and Furious' movie. I know this because the director is currently shooting a different movie on the East Coast."
Diesel never directly stated that he was already filming in Fast Forever, only that he is "on set," seemingly as Dom Toretto, and the team is "grinding to try to make the most amazing finale." Despite the clear implication that Diesel was announcing Fast Forever was filming, fans now know for sure that it wasn't.
Instead, Diesel got back into character as Toretto for Fox's World Cup coverage and a promo that aired during the USA's crushing defeat to Belgium. As such, the long road to Fast Forever's production start, sadly, isn't over yet.
This year, Universal Studios Hollywood will launch the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift high-speed 360-degree spinning rollercoaster. As riders will board Toretto’s Dodge Charger, Diesel may find himself reprising his Fast & Furious role again for the ride before the next movie, especially after he narrated its Super Bowl promo.
This isn't the first time that Diesel's Fast & Furious statements have been contradicted this year. The franchise's founding father took to the stage at NBCUniversal's Upfronts presentation this year to reveal that "Peacock is launching four shows from the Fast & Furious universe," only for trades like Variety to state that only one TV series is set up at the streamer, while others are in "various stages of development at Universal TV," with no home set yet.
Is Fast & Furious 11 in Trouble Now That Filming Hopes Are Dashed?
It's safe to say that development on the Fast & Furious saga's 11th and final chapter has been complicated since Fast X reportedly lost Universal almost $150 million when it disappointed on a massive budget in May 2023.
At one point, Universal was developing a new offshoot starring Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs, supposedly alongside Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes, to bridge the gap between Fast X and its sequel. Sadly, any plans for Hobbs & Reyes have seemingly been abandoned, with full focus now on Fast Forever.
Fast Forever was once being written by Christina Hodson (The Flash) and Oren Uziel (Mortal Kombat) before Zach Dean (Fast X) took over. Michael Lesslie only grabbed the reins to Fast Forever in March and is bound to be retooling the script for a while, especially as the movie's director is still preoccupied elsewhere.
Louis Leterrier has been shooting his sci-fi action thriller, Liminal, for Apple since early May, and production is rumored to continue until August (via Moviedelic). Fortunately, Fast Forever isn't expected to be released until March 2028, and Fast X only began filming 13 months before it hit theaters, meaning Universal can get away with waiting until late 2026 or early 2027 to begin production.
Redeveloping Fast Forever will have been no easy task after Fast X not only lost over $100 million, but also failed to land with fans and critics. The team is likely working with a reduced budget to avoid further losses, seemingly while taking the franchise back to its street-racing roots, raising logistical and creative challenges.
