Vin Diesel Teases A Fast X Trilogy, Or He's Just Saying Stuff Again
Everyone knows the end of the road begins with this summer's "Fast X," but it appears the Fast Saga might actually go on a bit longer than everyone anticipated.
Improbably, the "Fast and Furious" movies have been burning rubber for over two decades, transitioning from mid-budget racing thrillers to some of the most expensive and explosive mega-budget blockbusters in modern Hollywood. It's clear that Universal isn't going to let this franchise simply drive off into the sunset — there has been one spin-off (2019's atrocious "Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw") and the promise/threat of others — but in 2020, word came out that the main storyline would end with a two-part finale, starting with "Fast X." But today, while walking the red carpet before the premiere of "Fast X" in Rome, Vin Diesel is strongly implying that the two-part finale might turn into a full-blown trilogy. Will fans be seeing yet another Fast film before Dominic Toretto and his #family call it quits?
Fast X could be the start of a trilogy
During a red carpet interview in front of the Colosseum in Rome, Vin Diesel was asked what he could say about the future of the Dom character outside of this saga, and his answer was very interesting:
"It's a really good question. As filmmakers, though, you want to allow people to enjoy the film without tipping the hat too much. I can say this: Going into making this movie, the studio had asked if this could be a two-parter. And after the studio saw this part one, they said, 'Could you make Fast X, the finale, a trilogy?'"
Michelle Rodriguez, who was standing next to Diesel on the red carpet, chimed in and said, "It's three acts to any story." When the interviewer followed up and explicitly asked if they were officially confirming that a third film in the Fast X story is coming, Diesel — a giant grin on his face — said, "I don't want to get in trouble here," and he and Rodriguez walked away, leaving the reporter losing her mind on the red carpet with the possibility of a new film being tacked on to this saga. (You can watch the whole exchange for yourselves here — it starts around 1:02:10.)
Or not!
I love Vin Diesel, and I love the "Fast and Furious" franchise, but before anyone gets too excited, it's important to keep in mind that Vin Diesel is notorious for just kind of ... saying stuff. He's a guy who seems to believe in the power of speaking ideas out loud in order for them to ultimately become a reality, and while some of those ideas have actually come to pass, others have notably petered out. Remember when he strongly hinted that he would be in "Avatar: The Way of Water," but then ... wasn't? Or when he swore that "The Last Witch Hunter 2" was going to happen? Or when he said an all-female Fast and Furious movie was definitely happening? Or when he said James Gunn wanted there to be a Rocket and Groot spin-off movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
I guess technically a lot of those projects could still come to pass in one form or another. I'm not calling Vin Diesel a liar. I don't think he said any of that stuff with malicious intent. I think he just sometimes jumps the gun or is overly optimistic about a project's chances of seeing the light of day.
Is that what happened on the "Fast X" red carpet? Maybe! Would Universal (a studio that spent upwards of $300 million on "Fast X" after scrambling to replace its director who walked away days into production) really agree to a pitch for a two-film finale, but after seeing "Fast X," decide that it actually makes more sense to upend the balance of that story in order to milk their cash cow even more by tacking on another film to finish this story?
Considering how obsessed studios are with IP these days, maybe that idea isn't so far-fetched after all.