Fast & Furious 11: Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez Reveal the One Thing That Will Define the Final Ride

Quick pit stop in the Fast lane: Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez just teased where the finale is headed, but behind the scenes, the next movie is still stuck in neutral while the studio does the math.

Where Fast 11 stands right now

Fast X hit U.S. theaters in 2023 with Louis Leterrier directing and Vin back as Dominic Toretto. The plan was always a follow-up - call it Fast and Furious 11 or Fast X: Part 2 - but getting this one moving has been tougher than a quarter-mile in reverse.

The Wall Street Journal says there isn’t an approved script yet. On top of that, most of the cast hasn’t signed deals, which sounds like a budget conversation that hasn’t found its happy ending. Universal’s line to the filmmakers, per the report: no go unless the price tag lands around $200 million. The logic is straightforward: the old studio rule of thumb is you want a movie to earn about three times its budget to get the return you’re targeting. Keep costs down, and even a smaller box office than Fast X can still look good on the spreadsheet.

Diesel says the engine is turning

Despite all that, Diesel has been out there signaling progress. He posted photos and a video with Michael Moses, a chief marketing officer at Universal Pictures. Moses, on camera, kept it short and confident:

'Planning everything. We’ve got it solved.'

That’s a bold line to drop if the wheels aren’t at least on the car.

Toretto Tuesday and the final lap

Now Diesel’s posted another video with Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Letty, chatting about what matters most as they head into what they’re calling the last chapter. Diesel asks her to boil down the finale in a sentence. Rodriguez doesn’t hesitate:

'To bring it back to the integrity that we started with.'

It’s a simple answer, and honestly, a good North Star for a franchise that’s done everything from street races to submarine chases.

So what does that actually mean?

Short version: the cast is talking big picture and tone, the studio is talking budget and profit, and somewhere in the middle is a script that still needs a thumbs up. Also worth noting: Universal hasn’t dated the movie yet. No release window, nothing.

• Fast X released in U.S. theaters in 2023, directed by Louis Leterrier, with Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto
• The next film is planned as Fast and Furious 11, aka Fast X: Part 2, and is being positioned as the finale
• Per the Wall Street Journal: no approved script yet, and most of the cast does not have deals
• Universal reportedly wants the budget around $200 million before moving forward
• Reasoning: studios generally aim for about 3x budget at the box office to hit target returns
• Diesel posted with Universal marketing exec Michael Moses, who said on video: 'Planning everything. We’ve got it solved.'
• Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez teased the tone of the finale on Instagram, with Rodriguez aiming to 'bring it back to the integrity we started with'
• There is no release date from Universal

In other words: the family is ready, but the paperwork isn’t. Stay buckled.