Fast X - Everything You Need To Know
Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin Lin's "F9" proved incredibly successful at the box office and with fans of the long-running series. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his found family of crooks, street racers, spies, and all-around badasses went on another mission to save the world and managed to thrill audiences along the way. However, nobody can save the world forever, and the "Fast" franchise is entering its final quarter-mile before our favorite street racing heroes ride off into the sunset.
We have known for some time that the "Fast and Furious" franchise would come to an end with the inevitable release of "Fast 11," as Vin Diesel has remained adamant about his desire to give the franchise a proper conclusion. However, the beginning of the end will officially kick off when "Fast X" debuts. With all of that said, get the family together and dive into some of the key details that we know about the forthcoming tenth entry in the "Fast and Furious" saga "Fast X," including its release date, cast, and plot.
When will Fast X be released?
Almost as soon as "F9: The Fast Saga" unspooled in theaters in 2021, fans wanted to know "what's next?" And more importantly and urgently, they wanted to know exactly when the follow-up and tenth installment in that "Fast and Furious" franchise would arrive at the multiplex. Entertainment Weekly reported in August 2021 that the still tentatively titled "Fast & Furious 10" would start filming in January 2022 (per the word of star Vin Diesel) in advance of a release date of April 7, 2023. That timeframe is relatively consistent with other installments in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, as entries in the back half of the series have seen success debuting in the late spring/early summer window, with the COVID-delayed June 2021 release for "F9" actually standing out as a later release than usual for the series.
A few months later, Universal changed course and pushed back the release of the film, now officially known as "Fast X" (as "X" is the roman numeral for "10"). The film will open not in April 2023 but on May 19, 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What is the plot of Fast X?
Considering the threads planted in "F9," it's worth remembering how much the "Fast and Furious" franchise loves its continuity. Though the franchise tends to tell a continuous story from film to film, it also tends to dig deep into its chronology to bring back characters and resurrect seemingly retired plot threads. As a result, and knowing that the series has to wrap up its overarching story soon, fans can expect a dense narrative in "Fast X."
According to the plot summary on the film's official website, "Fast X" is the beginning of the endgame for the franchise. Toretto and his family, biological and by choice, stare down what's perhaps their most dangerous endeavor yet. Back in "Fast Five," Dom and company took down drug kingpin Hernan Rayes. Twelve years have passed, and his revenge-minded son, Dante, who witnessed his father's ignominious end has spent the entire period devising an elaborate and probably fatal revenge plot. Surviving and fighting back will take the huge and ever-expanding crew around the world, from Rome to Los Angeles to Portugal to Antarctica. As this movie is supposed to start to wrap-up the series, plenty of long unseen characters — heroic and villainous — are likely to return to take sides in the developing war.
Not every character will make it out of "Fast X" alive. "There's a war brewing. It's coming to an end, and it is a race to the finish," director Louis Leterrier told Empire. "There will be some tremendous casualties," said Leterrier, who added that the movie promises to be so exciting that it's suggested in the title. He pronounces "Fast X" as "fast ten" — like "fasten your seatbelts."
Who is starring in Fast X?
"Family" is extremely and repeatedly important to the "Fast and Furious" franchise, so expect plenty of familiar faces to return to the series when it arrives in theaters in May 2023. Among the returning cast members are Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, Sung Kang as Han, Charlize Theon as Cipher, Helen Mirren as Queenie, John Cena as Jakob, Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Tej, Michael Rooker as Buddy, and Jason Statham as villain-turned-hero Deckard Shaw.
New additions to that already ridiculously packed cast include "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson, Oscar winners Brie Larson and Rita Moreno, Portuguese film star Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2 in 2021's "The Suicide Squad"), and beloved action hero and "Aquaman" himself, Jason Momoa, as Dante Reyes. Meadow Walker filmed a brief cameo as a tribute to her father, late "Fast and Furious" series star Paul Walker.
Who is directing Fast X?
The tenth official entry in the "Fast and Furious" saga will bear the creative thumbprint of a director new to the franchise. Justin Lin, who helmed 2009's "Fast and Furious," 2011's "Fast Five," 2013's "Fast & Furious 6," and 2021's "F9: The Fast Saga," left the directorial duties this time to Louis Letterier. Experienced in the eye-popping action movie milieu, Letterier directed "Fast X" costar Jason Statham in "The Transporter" and its sequel, as well as the 2008 MCU film "The Incredible Hulk," the 2010 remake of "Clash of the Titans, and all 10 episodes of Netflix's "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance."
Lin didn't entirely leave the "Fast and Furious" family, however. He collaborated on the "Fast X" screenplay with Daniel Casey, a re-pairing of the team who wrote the script for "F9: The Fast Saga." That film's story came from the mind of writer Alfredo Botello, and he similarly contributed the plot outline for "Fast X."
Is there a trailer for Fast X?
Universal unveiled a trailer for "Fast X" during Super Bowl LVII. After some street racing scenes — a throwback to the franchise's early days — audiences learn what "Fast X" is really about. Jason Momoa plays Dante, a bad guy driven by a deep, dark, and abiding desire to undo Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).
All those themes are explored in the second trailer for "Fast X," released on April 19, 2023. It doesn't waste any time, with Dominic screaming "Punch it!" into a walkie-talkie to communicate with his "family" members, some speeding rare sports cars through Rome and Tej (Ludacris) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmauel) failing to navigate a massive cargo truck through the city's narrow, ancient streets. And it would seem that the giant, ominous sphere on board is a bomb, planted there by Dante, who remotely explodes the thing. It rolls away and does a lot of damage to Rome's priceless treasures while on the way toward its intended purpose — to blow up the Vatican.
From there, the trailer calms down slightly and temporarily, enough for Dante to explain that his motivation is to exact revenge on Dom, and he basically admits he's going to kill his target's chosen family of associates. But there are plenty more cars, showdowns, vehicular crashes, property damage, vicious fights, and scenes of getting the old gang back together and everybody choosing the perfect car and weapons to fight back against Dante's reign of terror.
Will Fast X have a post-credits scene?
Some "Fast and Furious" installments are just so action-packed that the movies proper just can't hold everything. And so, fans have grown accustomed to sitting tight in their cineplex seats, awaiting a mid-credits or post-credits scene to offer clues about the next chapter in the "Fast and Furious" universe or the shocking reveal that a presumed dead franchise character is still alive. For example, in the mid-credits of "F9," Deckard (Jason Statham) encounters the thought-dead Han (Sung Kang); and in "Fast Five," Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) finds out Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is still somehow living.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Fast X" is likely to keep the credits scene tradition going. On March 10, just over two months until the film hits theaters, Vin Diesel filmed a short scene characterized as a "tag" or "button," words that mean "post-credits scenes." As it turns out, he filmed it with a pretty significant scene partner. Thanks to TheWrap, we know who will be showing up at the end of "Fast X," and it is a massive spoiler, so don't read any further if you want go in cold.
As it turns out, Dwayne Johnson is returning as Luke Hobbs — a massive shocker seeing how he famously doesn't get along with Vin Diesel. We can't wait to see what this scene will set up for the franchise's future.
Where to watch previous Fast and Furious movies
The "Fast and Furious" movies are among the most prolific and enduring movie franchises in Hollywood. The first film arrived in 2001, and including spinoff installments like 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and 2019's unabashedly comical "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw," there will be 11 movies in the series, counting 2023's "Fast X." Audiences looking to properly prepare for the latest film by doing their due diligence and research, or just old fans seeking to reacquaint themselves with the increasingly elaborate and complex "Fast and Furious" world can do so with streaming services.
However, as of February 2023, not all 10 prior installments are conveniently available in one digital location. "The Fast and the Furious," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Fast & Furious," and "Fast Five" are streamable on demand to anyone with TruTV in their cable package. "Tokyo Drift" and "F9: The Fast Saga" can be found on HBO Max."Fast & Furious 6" and "Furious 7" appear on Peacock's premium tier. "The Fate of the Furious" and "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" are accessible to DirecTV and FuboTV subscribers.
Will there be a sequel?
After 10 mainline "The Fast Saga" films, the franchise is coming to a close, but as the trailers for "Fast X" suggest, the latest outing is only the beginning of the end. That's right, "Fast X" may mark the end of "Fast & Furious" as we know it, but it's only the first part of the story. After previous reports that "Fast X" would conclude the series, and news emerging in 2020 that the film would serve as the first half of a two-film franchise ender, it will instead launch a three-film endgame. Series star Vin Diesel told the crowd at CinemaCon 2023 (via Entertainment Weekly) that "Fast X" would be split into two parts, with the first half hitting theaters in June 2023, and the conclusion arriving in 2025. The 11th entry, now technically the 12th entry, will reach viewers sometime after that.
Though we don't yet know the title or the release date for the final installment — which will mark Vin Diesel's 11th portrayal of Dom Toretto after skipping out on "2 Fast 2 Furious" — we do know that the "Fast & Furious" team is working hard to develop a rewarding conclusion. When speaking with Variety, Diesel further explained the decision to end the franchise with the eleventh feature by comparing the series to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." "There's a reason Tolkien stopped writing after a while," the actor noted. "Because it's so hard to continue mythologies."
Where was Fast X filmed?
Like many of the later "Fast & Furious" pictures, the cast and crew of "Fast X" found themselves traveling all over the world. While the Torretto clan is based in Los Angeles — Dom's house is a real home located in Echo Park — they seem to find themselves breaking international laws on a consistent basis. "Fast X" is no different. This time, the street-racing spy thieves find themselves filming in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Portugal. Specifically, the "Fast X" team made their way to Rome, where actor Jason Momoa was seen filming scenes for the movie.
Aside from their international escapades, the "Fast X" team returned to Angelino Heights to film the majority of the LA scenes, with plenty of car chases and intense stunts making waves across their usual stomping grounds. As Variety reported, locals weren't too enthusiastic about the film's return, with some even organizing protests against the production. Ever since the first film was released in 2001, popular "Fast & Furious" filming locations — namely Bob's Market from the first film — have been desired points of interest for fans and reckless drivers alike, leading to dangerous incidents on local roads.
Of course, not everyone was upset about the movie being filmed in their neighborhood. Homeowner Planaria Price made it clear that she didn't want filming to end, stating that "it's one of the most important economic things we have in Los Angeles."
In what order should you watch the Fast Saga?
Known for its clever retcons and devil-may-care attitude, "The Fast Saga" isn't the easiest franchise to sit down and watch without the proper context. Some of the earliest films actually take place later on in the timeline, while others serve as subsequent follow-ups. Still, the very first film, "The Fast and the Furious," is where everyone should start as it introduces the world and the primary characters, namely Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto and Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner.
After the original 2001 feature, Brian's adventures continue in the sequel "2 Fast 2 Furious," although Dom doesn't reunite with his friend until 2009's "Fast & Furious," which is technically the fourth film but serves as the third chronologically. From there, "Fast Five" and "Fast & Furious 6" continue the plot threads established in the fourth film. The third film released in the series, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," takes place immediately after the sixth film leading into "Furious 7," which ties every previous installment together.
While "Furious 7" was notable as Walker's last portrayal of Brian O'Conner before his untimely death, the series continued with "The Fate of the Furious." Tying in with the main franchise, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" takes place after "The Fate of the Furious" but before "F9." "Fast X" will directly follow the events of "F9" and begin the end of the Toretto clan's international adventures together.
How will Fast X explain Brian's absence?
From the very first "Fast & Furious" adventure, Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner made his mark on the franchise and quickly solidified himself as a member of the Toretto family. After becoming best friends with Dom and having children with his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), the Brian character was retired following "Furious 7," with both "The Fate of the Furious" and "F9" offering explanations for his lack of involvement. Even after Walker's death, the character remains a part of the overarching "Fast & Furious" story, with the end of "F9" teasing his return.
It seems like "The Fast Saga" can only hold out on showing Brian again for so long. Due to his law enforcement background and his dedication to the team, it's unlikely that the character would continue to sit out each and every new conflict that Dom, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and the gang find themselves involved in. "Furious 7" sent off Brian well in a respectful ending that honored Walker and the character, but with all the constant teases and references, it's becoming increasingly less believable that Brian wouldn't show up again at some point.
When speaking with Total Film, Vin Diesel made it clear that "The Fast Saga" won't end without a proper sendoff for Paul Walker's breakout character. "I will give you this without spoiling anything," Diesel said when speaking about the character's future. "I couldn't imagine this saga ending without truly saying goodbye to Brian O'Conner."
Who is Jason Momoa playing?
In almost every "Fast & Furious" movie, we're introduced to a new villain who has some strange hold over our favorite found family. This has ranged from international terrorists to drug lords and assassins, with some of Dom's most hated enemies becoming uneasy allies later on. With "Fast X," Jason Momoa has been added to the ever-growing list of adversaries, but like "Furious 7" nemesis Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) before him, Momoa's Dante Reyes also has a previous connection to Dom and his crew.
As revealed in the "Fast X" trailers, Dante's time in "The Fast Saga" extends back to "Fast Five," when Dom, Brian, and their crew took down drug lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). While Momoa obviously didn't show up in "Fast Five," clever retconning and repurposed footage (not unlike Han's "death" in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") have included him in the narrative. Though it was technically Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) who executed Reyes, the makeshift Toretto family was ultimately responsible for the drug lord's defeat.
Hoping to enact his revenge against his father's killers, Momoa's character is rooted within the franchise's mythology and aims to be the perfect antithesis of Dom. As director Louis Leterrier described him to Esquire, "He's also the polar opposite of Dom. He's all color and flamboyance. It's the [yin] and yang, the Christ and the Anti-Christ — the anti-Dom." Sounds like Momoa is the perfect villain for "Fast X."
How does Fast X connect to previous Fast & Furious movies?
As the most recent installment of "The Fast Saga," there's no doubt that "Fast X" will take everything that the series has done and make it into something new. From the very first film, the "Fast & Furious" franchise has followed Dominic Toretto and his makeshift family as they tackle everything from street racing and bank robbing to international espionage. Naturally, "Fast X" won't be any different, though this installment also ties directly into "Fast Five."
In response to Dom, Brian, and the crew's actions in the fifth film, it seems like Momoa's Dante Reyes will retaliate, though that won't be the only plotline "Fast X" explores. Seemingly taking place a few years after "F9," the newest feature will pay off the mid-credits reunion between Han and his "killer" Deckard Shaw. Shaw had seemingly killed Han during the events of "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," but after the revelation that Han's death was faked, a fight between them seems likely.
There's also Charlize Theron's Cipher, the antagonist of "The Fate of the Furious" and "F9: The Fast Saga," who revealed herself to be behind the events of the sixth and seventh films. An international cyberterrorist, Cipher is one of the group's most formidable foes and the one who has arguably taken the most from Dom's crew. Of all the "Fast & Furious" movies, "Fast X" is gearing up to be the most expansive yet.
Did Mr. Nobody survive F9?
One of the strangest additions to the later years of "The Fast Saga" was the government spymaster Mr. Nobody. Played to perfection by Kurt Russell, Mr. Nobody first appeared in "Furious 7," at the tail end of Brian O'Conner's tenure in the series. With the advent of this secret super-spy, Dom and his family were ushered into a terrifying new world of international espionage with potentially disastrous consequences. Appearing in the last three installments, Russell's character isn't slated to appear in "Fast X," leaving his fate ambiguous.
At the beginning of "F9: The Fast Saga," Mr. Nobody is credited with capturing Cipher and transporting her by plane back to the US. Unsurprisingly, this transport doesn't go as planned and Mr. Nobody's plane goes down, leaving Cipher to join Jakob Toretto (John Cena) on his revenge mission against Dom. In all the chaos, the fate of Mr. Nobody is never officially addressed. Though Han eventually explains how the agent helped him fake his death, his current whereabouts remain unclear.
Although Russell is not returning for "Fast X" — at least as far as we know — Mr. Nobody's daughter Tess is set to appear. Played by Brie Larson, the trailers suggest that Tess will aid Dom and his team in their mission against Dante Reyes, acting in a similar capacity as her father did when engaging with the team.
Will Dwayne Johnson return for Fast X?
Ever since "Fast Five," Dwayne Johnson has been an iconic part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, though his involvement is not without some controversy. Though series star Vin Diesel had initially fought for Johnson's casting as government bounty hunter Luke Hobbs in the fifth film, the two clashed on set. Johnson reprised his role in "Fast & Furious 6" and "Furious 7," but took a break during the eighth installment, instead developing his own spin-off with Jason Statham in "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw."
Johnson also skipped "F9: The Fast Saga," though his spin-off co-star reprised his role as Shaw for an uncredited after-credits sequence. While Statham is set to return as Shaw once more for "Fast X," Hobbs will not be joining him. Since Johnson's character was so important to "Fast Five" — he executed Hernon Reyes, after all — it will be interesting to see how "Fast X" deals with Hobbs' absence and if Dante Reyes will even attempt to assassinate Hobbs as well.
While Dwayne Johnson has repeatedly distanced himself from "The Fast Saga," fans still hope to see Luke Hobbs once more before the franchise closes out. Huge spoiler ahead, so skip to the next section to ensure you're surprised in the theater: According to pre-release intel from TheWrap, Johnson, as Luke Hobbs, will pop up in "Fast X." He's the primary focus of a post-credits sequence.
Will we see Gisele return?
"Fast & Furious" fans are also eager to see Gal Gadot's Gisele return. First appearing in the fourth installment, "Fast & Furious," Gisele joined Dom's crew as a weapons expert and specialist. As a former CIA agent, she was an enormous asset to the team in both "Fast Five" and "Fast & Furious 6." Sadly, Gisele met her end saving her boyfriend Han near the tail end of the sixth movie, and most of us still aren't over it.
Aside from some passing mentions and a deleted scene from "Furious 7," Gadot has been too busy playing Wonder Woman in the DCEU (among other projects) to return full-time to the franchise. After Han's death in "Tokyo Drift" and subsequent return in "F9" — which followed Letty's "death" and resurrection a few films prior — it's as possible as ever that Gisele's demise could've been faked also, especially given her ties to Mr. Nobody.
While there hasn't been any official confirmation regarding Gisele's return to "The Fast Saga," The Direct reported that Gal Gadot had filmed scenes for "Fast X." In response to questions regarding Gisele's possible resurrection, Han actor Sung Kang told Digital Spy that there was no reason the two couldn't be reunited by the franchise's end. "Why can't she? ... Who doesn't want a load of Gal Gadot in their life?" At this point, only time will tell if Gisele's death was permanent.
Fast X is the most expensive Fast & Furious movie ever
It seems that with almost every new venture into "The Fast Saga," the movies get bigger and increasingly more expensive. Following the success of the fifth and sixth films, "Furious 7" was given a larger budget that, after the death of Paul Walker, quickly grew to $250 million for digital recreations and reshoots. The following film, "The Fate of the Furious," was granted a similar budget, while the next two franchise installments, "Hobbs & Shaw" and "F9," cost $200 million each. Nevertheless, it's a far cry from the original film's budget of $38 million.
As the first part of a greater franchise finale, The Wrap reported that the new film's budget is pushing $340 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. In comparison, "Avengers: Endgame" had a budget of $356 million and James Cameron's "Avatar: The Way of Water" boasted a budget that was somewhere around $350 million.
Though "Fast X" is less expensive than those two, it's still more costly than popular blockbusters like "Avengers: Infinity War" or "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Exact numbers aside, the point is that "Fast X" will be huge, and while a big budget does not necessarily equal a hit, we can hope that the extra cash will be used wisely to bring the story to life.
Fast X will be a lot more grounded
If one thing is obvious about "The Fast and the Furious" and its many sequels, it's that every new addition gets just a bit bigger and even harder to believe. A film that was originally about illegal racing and one cop's infiltration of a street gang quickly shifted genres and became something bigger than anyone had previously thought possible. In the sequel, Brian goes undercover to take down a drug kingpin. In "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," everything changed, focusing instead on American citizen Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) in Tokyo as he falls into street racing.
From the fourth film on, the franchise found its voice as an adrenaline-fueled, car-centric heist series, which was true until the seventh installment. Since then, the franchise has turned into a globe-trotting action series with ties to the spy genre, with each film becoming increasingly unrealistic as the series pressed onward. However, that's not what "Fast X" director Louis Leterrier hopes to do with the 10th installment.
"What I wanted to do on this one, because it's very much my style, was to ground it more in reality," Leterrier told Esquire when discussing his vision for the film. "I wanted it to feel like 'Fast 1,' 'Fast 3,' and 'Fast 5' — movies that feel grounded." This is great news for fans of the earlier "Fast & Furious" pictures and may give the franchise a bit more street cred leading into its final chapter.