It’s Officially the End of an Era for The Fast & The Furious

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The *Fast & Furious* franchise is among the most successful movie series ever made, but the story of Dom Toretto and his crew might be wrapping up. Starting in 2001 with *The Fast and the Furious* – an action movie about street racing, similar to *Point Break* – the series has become increasingly over-the-top, even sending a car into space in *F9*. Led by Vin Diesel and featuring a rotating cast of talented actors, *Fast & Furious* has become a huge moneymaker for Universal Pictures, generating billions of dollars in revenue.

Like all good things, the *Fast & Furious* saga eventually faced challenges. When Paul Walker tragically passed away during filming, it significantly impacted the series. Up until then, his character, Brian O’Conner, was just as important as Vin Diesel’s Dom. Losing Walker was deeply felt by fans and those involved in the films. While *Furious 7* was a success, maintaining that momentum has been difficult. Instead of killing off Brian, the writers chose to have him retire and focus on his family, but the franchise has noticeably struggled since his departure, and its future is now more uncertain than ever.

Is Fast 11 Ever Going To Get Made?

The latest *Fast & Furious* movie, *Fast X*, ended on a cliffhanger, but Universal Pictures doesn’t seem focused on finishing that story right away. Plans for how the series would end have been evolving for years. Back in 2015, after *Furious 7* came out, the studio announced the saga would conclude with a final three movies. *The Fate of the Furious* and *F9* were released, followed by *Fast X*, which was originally intended to be a single film. However, the scope of the project grew over time. By the time *Fast X* started filming, it was planned as the first part of a two-part finale. More recently, in 2023, reports surfaced that discussions were underway to turn *Fast X* into a trilogy, with Vin Diesel sharing some of those details.

The future looked promising for the *Fast* series heading into the release of *Fast X*. Although *F9* didn’t perform quite as well as previous films, many believed this was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hoped the next installment would be as successful as *The Fate of the Furious*. Most of the franchise’s regular cast returned, including John Cena and Ludacris, and a new, engaging villain joined the team. The film also surprised fans by bringing back characters previously thought to be gone, with Gal Gadot’s Giselle unexpectedly returning and Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs appearing in a post-credits scene.

Movie Year Worldwide Box Office
Fast X 2023 $714 million
F9: The Fast Saga 2021 $719 million
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw 2019 $760 million
The Fate of the Furious 2017 $1.1 billion
Furious 7 2015 $1.5 billion
Fast and Furious 6 2013 $789 million
Fast Five 2011 $629 million
Fast & Furious 2009 $359 million
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 2006 $157 million
2 Fast 2 Furious 2003 $236 million
The Fast and the Furious 2001 $206 million

Despite previous hints of another solo film for Luke Hobbs in 2023, current projects are facing difficulties. A new Hobbs movie was announced after *Fast X* as a lead-in to the next installment, but it’s uncertain if this fits into the trilogy Vin Diesel mentioned. Regardless, these plans aren’t moving forward. While *Fast X* performed well, it didn’t meet financial expectations given its $378.8 million production cost. This has made Universal hesitant about a sequel, as the film now requires a $250 million budget, but the studio is only prepared to invest $200 million.

While the large budget for *Fast X* was partly due to the director leaving mid-production and the added costs of COVID-19 safety measures, the studio is now trying to significantly reduce expenses. This has meant completely rethinking the plans for the next film, which were originally developed in 2023. As of now, years later, a script hasn’t been finalized, even though Vin Diesel has hinted at the return of Brian O’Conner, a focus on street racing, and a potential April 2027 release. Unfortunately, the project continues to face production issues and delays, and filming hasn’t been scheduled yet.

How The Insane Cliffhanger Ending Of Fast X Could Be The Perfect End To The Series

Arguments over money between Universal and the filmmakers, including Vin Diesel, are raising doubts about whether *Fast and Furious 11* will actually happen, but that might not be a bad thing. Given how over-the-top the *Fast* franchise has become, ending the story with *Fast X* could be a smart move. The series has become known for its unbelievable plot twists – bringing characters back to life and having street racers perform impossible feats – and while fun, it’s not sustainable. Eventually, the characters’ dangerous lifestyle should have consequences, which seemed to be hinted at in the latest film.

The last movie ended on a devastating note: Roman, Tej, Ramsay, and Han were on a plane that was shot down by Aimes. The scene happened so fast and involved so many major characters seemingly dying that many viewers expected it to be a trick to be revealed in a future film. However, if it’s meant to be taken literally, it means most of the main cast of the *Fast* franchise is gone. While it would be sad to see these well-loved characters killed off, it would also make the films more impactful and highlight the real dangers of the high-stakes lives they lead.

Fans have been eager to see how Dom’s story would conclude. The latest film leaves him and his son in a dangerous situation – trapped as a dam explodes, thanks to Dante. The movie ends with a cliffhanger, showing flames closing in on the team, implying their fate will be decided in a future sequel. However, this ominous scene could also be a surprisingly brave and heartbreaking way to finish the series. Dom has sacrificed everything for his family, but his choices have also caused pain, especially for Dante. Ending the film with a bittersweet and potentially tragic conclusion, reminiscent of *Thelma and Louise*, could be the ideal way to bring the *Fast* franchise to a close.

The Franchise Will Surely Receive Some Closure Eventually

While the future of the *Fast & Furious* series is uncertain, it’s likely fans will eventually get an ending. Even if the currently planned projects don’t happen, the franchise is too profitable to cancel completely. If necessary, the story could continue through other formats like comics or novels. However, it’s more probable that Vin Diesel will reprise his role as Dominic Toretto in another large-scale movie to wrap up the saga.

It’s possible audiences are getting tired of the *Fast* movies. The recent box office numbers, with *Fast X* earning the least amount of money since 2011, hint at this. Although other big films like *Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning* and *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse* left viewers with cliffhangers, there hasn’t been much excitement about continuing the story from *Fast X*. Even though people want to see how that film’s ending will be resolved, it doesn’t seem to be creating a lot of buzz. Maybe the *Fast* franchise should take a break for a few years and then return later on.

After over two decades, the *Fast & Furious* franchise could benefit from a pause. A good strategy might be to return in about ten years with a new story for Dominic Toretto, potentially showing what happened after the events of *Fast X* through flashbacks. This would build anticipation for the next installment. While there’s still a chance the teams behind *Fast 11* can resolve their disagreements and move forward, that possibility seems to be shrinking. Regardless of when it happens, it’s highly likely another *Fast* movie will eventually be made.

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2025-10-13 19:41