Fast & Furious franchise back to LA for the presumptive final installment.
When The Fast and The Furious first debuted in summer 2001, it arrived with low expectations — a modest-budget film starring semi-established actors. The niche subject matter of street racing wasn’t considered Hollywood gold. Yet, Vin Diesel led a group of charismatic actors, winning fans over with a genuine portrayal of brotherhood and — of course — “family.” Over the years, the franchise has evolved from street racing to space travel, from Japan to Brazil, from stealing DVD players to stopping nuclear warfare. As the 24-year saga nears its conclusion, Diesel has flirted with the idea of returning the franchise to its roots. And it seems tragedy was fate’s way of ensuring he and his team finally return to LA.
Diesel recently took to Instagram, revealing that the devastating LA wildfires were what pushed him to make the decision to bring the final part of the Fast saga home. In his heartfelt post, Diesel shared that the idea originated from his on-screen sister, Jordana Brewster, who asked him to see if Universal could bring the final installment back to LA, as the city “needs it now more than ever.”
The cast’s relationships are almost as complicated as the numbering system of the sequels. Dwayne Johnson has had a falling out with Diesel, and Tyrese has had his own issues with Johnson. However, for the 11th installment (12th, if you count the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off), officially titled Fast X: Part 2, it seems that everyone is ready to put their feuds aside and focus on delivering a finale that fans who’ve stuck with them through thick and thin truly deserve.
Vin Diesel’s decision to return the franchise to LA, especially at a time when the city needs a much-needed injection of capital, is a testament to his character. It’s easy to dismiss this gesture or debate how the wildfire situation has been handled, but witnessing people do whatever they can in the face of tragedy will always be moving.
As for the franchise, if the goal is to return to basics, we can only hope to see some form of racing in the final installment — after all, they owe us that much. According to Diesel’s post, the film has already shot a significant portion of the final chapter, with only a small part left that he hopes will be shot in LA. This might end up being a more emotional send-off than anyone expected, and given how well they handled Paul Walker’s farewell, we have hope for this one.
Diesel has announced that Fast X: Part 2 is expected to hit theaters in March 2026.
Published: Jan 24, 2025 02:27 pm