What a sh*tshow this is turning into.
Three years after “Fast X” ended the ‘Fast & Furious’ saga on yet another cliffhanger, “Fast Forever” still has no production start date. And director Louis Leterrier’s latest comments make it sound like even he isn’t entirely sure when — or if — he’ll actually get around to making it.
Speaking to Polygon, Leterrier is confirming that he remains attached to direct the final ‘Fast & Furious’ instalment. The problem is that, three years after “Fast X,” he hasn’t read the latest screenplay — and that’s despite Vin Diesel claiming over the weekend that he was “still crying” after reading the screenplay.
Leterrier was asked whether he’s still making the film. His answer? “Not currently because I’m finishing another movie, but yeah,” he said. Then came the obligatory franchise optimism.
“This franchise will have an ending. They built a ride!” They have to finish it. Someone has to end it.
Asked whether he’d seen the same screenplay that made Diesel sob for hours, Leterrier became noticeably more evasive.
Well, uh, I’d love to tell you the full truth, but I can’t. There will be an ending, and it’s great. I was very, very lucky to be part of the franchise, and I love Vin and I love Universal. They’re great to work with. So yeah. We’ll see, hopefully.
Earlier this year, Diesel announced that “Fast Forever” would arrive in March 2028. That’s a release date, at least, but it comes from Diesel’s mouth, well known for subverting the truth in social media posts. What remains unclear is just about everything else — including who, exactly, will be directing it.
Last week, ‘Fast X’ actor Alan Ritchson revealed that “Fast Forever” is currently facing some major hurdles, claiming the film is “too expensive” to make and that Universal is “currently solving big problems,” which had many wondering if that 2028 release date would stick.
At this point, “Fast Forever” seems to exist somewhere between an actual movie and a Vin Diesel Instagram promise.
The theatrical version runs 108 minutes, so we're talking a nearly 2-hour-10-minute cut of a movie that works because it's lean, and I'm not sure anyone needs that.