Vin Diesel had some surprises to drop about Fast X 2, the “final” film in the street racing franchise that has been speeding along since 2001. He told the crowd at FuelFest [via Screenrant] that the anticipated film will hit theaters in April 2027. This is the window Diesel had been asking Universal for, as it was the same release timeframe as 2015’s Furious 7, the highest-grossing sequel with $1.5B globally.
The biggest news from Diesel, however, was that the film would also see the return of Brian O’Connor, the character played by the late Paul Walker. Not only that, but the story will return to Los Angeles with a focus on the street racing scene, going back to the franchise’s roots.
Walker starred in five Fast & Furious films until his tragic death in 2013. The O’Connor character drove off into the sunset at the end of Furious 7, with Walker’s brothers Caleb and Cody filling in as stand-ins to complete his scenes. It’s unclear if the plan is to bring them back to portray O’Connor again, or if CGI will be used.
It’s been diminishing returns of late for the $7.5B franchise. 2023’s Fast X earned $714M, the lowest since Fast Five‘s $626M in 2011.
