Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson gathered in Los Angeles on August 17 for a special screening honoring 25 years since “The Fast and the Furious” first hit theaters. Meadow Walker, daughter of the late Paul Walker, joined the cast on the red carpet, continuing a tradition of appearing at franchise milestones since her father’s death in 2013.
Universal Pictures organized the screening as part of a wider anniversary campaign that began three months earlier at the Cannes Film Festival. On May 13, Diesel, Rodriguez, Brewster and Gibson walked the carpet in France alongside producer Neal H. Moritz and NBCUniversal chief Donna Langley for a midnight photocall and screening at the Palais des Festivals. That booking drew some skepticism from entertainment writers, who noted Cannes leaned on the 2001 action film to fill a red carpet slot during a year with few major American premieres competing for attention.
Director Rob Cohen’s original film, starring Diesel and Walker as an undercover cop drawn into a street racing subculture, grossed a modest sum on release but launched a saga that has since generated more than $7 billion worldwide across ten films and a spinoff.
The anniversary tour arrives as the franchise heads toward its planned conclusion. Diesel confirmed in January that the eleventh installment, titled “Fast Forever,” will open March 17, 2028, with Louis Leterrier returning to direct after helming “Fast X.” The film has faced repeated delays tied to script rewrites, industry strikes and shifting production schedules since Diesel first floated a 2025 release date years ago. Diesel has said the finale will return to the franchise’s street racing roots and resolve the storyline of Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, framing the project as a tribute to his former co-star.
AMC and Cinemark are running the original 1995… correction, 2001 film in theaters this week alongside limited-edition concession merchandise tied to the anniversary, giving fans a chance to revisit the film that started the series before its final chapter arrives.
