Vin Diesel sets Fast 11 release date as behind-the-scenes drama rumbles on

If you fancy one last lap with the Fast & Furious crew, the so-called final film has an official title now—Fast Forever—and, in theory, it's locked in for a 2028 cinema release. That's the plan this week, anyway. If you've followed this franchise for any length of time, you'll know these release dates are about as permanent as a handbrake in a drag race.

March 17th 2028 is the current release date for Fast Forever.

The never-ending road to release

Let's just retrace how we got here. Universal originally wanted Fast Forever out in 2025. That shifted to 2026. Now we're at 2028—specifically March 17th, if you believe Vin Diesel. It's become a bit of a running gag: will this final chapter ever actually turn up, or is it just perpetual motion?

Vin Diesel, who by now is as much a part of this franchise as NOS and family barbecues, keeps steering the hype train. He recently popped up on Instagram to push fans towards the original film when it returns to cinemas on August 21. In pure Diesel fashion, he tries to inject some drama into the whole thing:

Here's how Vin Diesel put it to fans on Instagram: "When March 17th 2028 comes… you will thank God you got to see the First one in the theaters this summer."

You never quite know if Diesel's dropping a genuine announcement or just riffing. Earlier this year, he teased what looked like behind-the-scenes footage from Fast Forever, which turned out to be a promo for the 2026 World Cup. But this time, the date—March 17th, 2028—looks fairly unambiguous. Even Diesel wouldn't mix up a date you'd put on your calendar.

Script tears and budget wrangling

There's some actual progress, at least according to Diesel, who has apparently read the new script from Mike Leslie. He claimed it moved him to tears, which is either a promising sign or simply Vin being Vin.

Diesel's summary on Instagram: "I just read the Fast Forever script by Mike Leslie. It is the best script I have read in decades. I am still crying…"

All that said, getting this film to the finish line involves a lot more than just wiping away the odd emotional tear. The franchise peaked financially all the way back in 2015 with Furious 7—$1.5 billion at the global box office. Ever since, it's been a slow decline. Fast X pulled in $714 million, still decent, except Universal spent a mind-melting $340 million making it. Not exactly what you'd call sustainable.

For Fast Forever, Universal supposedly wants to keep the budget capped at $200 million. This sounds almost sensible, but it's causing arguments behind the scenes. Alan Ritchson (from Reacher, joined Fast X) hinted that the whole enterprise is now caught between spiralling ambition and basic sanity. He put it very plainly in a recent interview, saying the films are 'too expensive to make' and production has to find 'a more efficient way' to keep it all afloat. The bigger the franchise, the harder it is to show any restraint—but that's now the necessary evil if anyone actually wants to get this made.

More stars than parking spaces

The other headache is simply getting everyone in the same room—or on the same continent. The plan is for a cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Brie Larson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa as well as Ritchson and Diesel himself. Good luck to the poor scheduler tasked with wrangling all those stars at once.

Still, Ritchson reckons they'll pull it off, and 'there's "gonna be another one."' The real test will be whether that March 2028 target finally sticks, or if the saga of delays goes another lap around the block.