Vin Diesel says the screenplay for “Fast Forever,” the eleventh installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, moved him to tears. In an Instagram post shared Saturday, the actor wrote that he had just finished reading the script by Michael Lesslie and called it the best one he’s encountered in decades, adding that he was “still crying” afterward.
Diesel paired the message with a trailer promoting the theatrical re-release of the original 2001 “The Fast and the Furious,” which returns to theaters on August 21 for its 25th anniversary. He urged fans to catch that screening before the franchise’s planned conclusion in 2028, writing that they’ll be grateful they saw the first film again before the story wraps.
Lesslie’s script follows a rewrite of earlier drafts penned by Aaron Rabin and Zach Dean. The screenwriter previously worked on “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” “Macbeth” and “Assassin’s Creed.” Louis Leterrier, known for “The Transporter” and “The Incredible Hulk,” will direct “Fast Forever,” which Universal has scheduled for release on March 17, 2028.
The film picks up after “Fast X,” the 2023 entry that grossed $704 million worldwide and ended on a cliffhanger teasing the returns of Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson through two post-credit scenes. Diesel confirmed earlier this year that the franchise would conclude with this installment, framing it as the finale to a story he began building 20 years ago, a saga that has generated more than $7 billion at the global box office across its run.
The wait for “Fast Forever” has stretched longer than many fans expected. Production has faced delays since “Fast X” wrapped, and the franchise’s path to a firm release date has been bumpier than earlier installments. Diesel has continued to promote the project throughout that process, and the franchise’s footprint keeps expanding regardless.
He has said NBCUniversal is developing four television spinoffs set in the “Fast & Furious” world, signaling the brand will continue even after the mainline series ends. Diesel’s Instagram announcement gives fans their clearest signal yet that a completed script now exists, even as the film remains roughly a year and a half from release.
