Budget trouble in the franchise? Fast Forever director: ‘Movies Have Evolved’

So, Fast Forever (yes, that really is the title they're sticking with) is still in the pipeline, though perhaps crawling more than sprinting right now. If you've been wondering what's going on with the next Fast & Furious film — especially after all those wild online rumours — it's not the story that's holding things up. Turns out, it's something a bit more old school: money, and the little matter of today's not-so-predictable box office.

Director's Dilemma

Louis Leterrier, who's steering this presumably final ride for the main saga, recently gave his thoughts about the situation while doing press for his Netflix project The Last House. Yes, he's still on board and apparently as dedicated as ever, but pre-production is moving at the pace of a three-point turn in a Tesco car park. He's been keeping busy with other jobs, because, as he puts it, sitting around just isn't his style.

Here's how Leterrier put it when chatting to The Hollywood Reporter:

Directors don’t idle well, so I have to direct. I’m contracted. If we go, we go. We’re lucky to be having a great year [at the box office], but it’s different now. Movies have evolved, and tastes have evolved, and the box office has evolved. So we have to align our budgetary needs to the reality of the box office. We know that, and it’s fine. Everybody does that. It’ll be fine.

So basically, it's not panic stations (yet), but the challenge is: how do you wrap up a series that's gotten bigger and more explosive every single film, when today's audiences just aren't turning out like they used to?

Fast Forever is currently scheduled to hit cinemas on 17 March 2028.

Cast, Story, and (Inevitable) Budget Headaches

As far as actual details, Fast Forever is meant to pick up right after Fast X, and anything short of a time-travelling car would feel like a let-down at this stage. Vin Diesel is, as ever, expected to return, joined by at least some of the extended-family regulars. Universal's keeping mum about the full line-up, which probably means deals are still being hammered out.

Recently, Alan Ritchson (who was in Fast X) also weighed in on the size-versus-budget issue, saying the sheer scale of the thing is starting to make it nearly impossible to balance the books and give fans what they expect. Ritchson, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, basically called it a nightmare to keep up the big spectacle without spending every penny Universal's got. According to him, they've reached the point where 'there has to be a way to show restraint while also honoring the fact that this world has expanded to something humongous.'

The take-home is: the sets, stunts, and cast are only getting larger, but the audience isn't — not on the same level as the Fast crew's glory days. And, for once, reality is finally acting as the handbrake.