Alan Ritchson was born to be an action star, so it felt like a no-brainer to see him join the Fast & Furious franchise with Fast X (streaming with a Peacock subscription), alongside Vin Diesel. As Aimes, the actor got in on the stunts and fistfights and clearly had a great time being a part of it all. But it’s been three years since the film came out, and with no release date on the 2026 movie calendar, fans are wondering when the final installment of the franchise will finally hit theaters. And they’re not the only ones.
The Fast and Furious movies first revved onto the big screen 25 years ago and the scope and scale has only gotten bigger and wilder with each release. Over two decades of the action-adventure empire has been building toward this moment. But following Fast X‘s cliffhanger ending and the excruciatingly long Fast Forever delay, questions continue to arise about when we’ll finally get to learn how it all ends. The Reacher star recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote his latest action flick, Motor City, and of course, the conversation turned to what he’s heard about the status of the Fast franchise. He said:
I know a lot. We have conversations all the time. I mean, I’m a big part of those conversations. But there’s just a lot of obstacles…. It’s expensive to make that. It’s too expensive to make those. It doesn’t make a ton of sense. There’s a more efficient way to shoot those shows, right? There has to be a way to show restraint while also honoring the fact that this world has expanded to something humongous that gets very difficult. We’re now at the crossroads of something very hard to figure out. And you know, everybody’s figuring it out.
When it comes to putting seemingly impossible things out into the world and making them happen, there is no better manifester than Vin Diesel. Unwilling to give up on anything, it’s admirable to witness his unwavering grind, and I’m sure Alan Ritchson and the cast appreciate the push to get Fast Forever into production.
After defying the laws of physics countless times, even launching a car into space using a rocket in F9, it’s hard to scale things back down. And all of that comes with a hefty price tag. But Ritchson, who has described his franchise character as “disarmingly unflappable with a down home charm,” is right that there has to be a more efficient way to shoot and to pull things back while still honoring what the Fast and Furious world has become. And really, it comes down to family. Smallville’s Aquaman is optimistic that it will happen, and reassuringly said:
I think there’s going to be another one. I think it’s going to be great. And it’s just a matter of solving some big problems, very real problems.
Fast and Furious has become one of the most popular action franchises of the 21st century, encompassing not just movies, but an animated series, theme park attractions, video games and more. It has also embraced some of the biggest names in the genre, counting Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Gal Gadot among its cast ranks.
But honestly, as long as the character dynamics stay true and their bonds remain strong, I know I’d be down to see a conclusion that recalls where it all began. A final chapter that stays more grounded and pulls back from all of the over-the-top stunts bordering the absurd and takes things back to Los Angeles to honor the franchise’s roots would definitely get me into a theater to see the final film that’s currently slated for March 17, 2028.
