Vin Diesel Claims ‘Fast Forever’ Is “Filming,” but the Evidence Says Otherwise

On this July 4, Vin Diesel offered a brief behind-the-scenes look at “Fast Forever,” the eleventh and final film in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, which he claims on is “filming.”

Should we believe him? He’s been teasing this thing for almost four years, with nothing but delays, budget issues, and rewrites to show for it.

In his video post, on Instagram, Diesel says, “I’m on set. People are grinding. Incredible crews are working,” before thanking fans for being patient all these years and promising that he’s “grinding to try to make the most amazing finale.”

There is almost no chance it’s actually filming, especially not on a weekend—and that’s despite the trades, such as Variety and Deadline, falling for Diesel’s trap. If anything, there’s probably prep work underway for production to begin sometime this year or next.

“Fast Forever” is currently slated for a March 17, 2028, release via Universal. It doesn’t take nearly two years to complete a film of this scale after principal photography begins, so if that release date holds, actual filming is more likely to start in late 2026 or sometime in 2027. Diesel’s latest post appears to be more about keeping excitement alive than confirming that cameras are already rolling.

No cast has even been announced for “Fast Forever.” Seemingly, “Fast X” helmer Louis Leterrier may return as director, although that remains unconfirmed. Michael Lesslie is writing the script. Lesslie is the sixth writer to take a crack at “Fast Forever,” following Christina Hodson, Oren Uziel, Aaron Rabin, Zach Dean, and Gary Scott Thompson.

A report from this past March, via The Wall Street Journal, claimed that “Fast Forever” didn’t even have a finished script, with much of the cast still unsigned. It also suggested Universal demanded that Diesel and the team cut roughly $140 million from the budget compared to “Fast X.”

“Fast X” ended on a true cliffhanger, with Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his young son, Brian, seemingly trapped on a collapsing dam after Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) set off explosives. The next film was clearly meant to pick up right where it left off, but instead it has been delayed for years. Now set for 2028, “Fast Forever” has a simple problem: Brian will have aged several years in real life even though almost no time has passed in the story. The filmmakers will either have to ignore it or drop the cliffhanger altogether, making the “to be continued” ending feel pointless.