It’s been over three years since the release of Fast X, and despite some reassuring talk from Vin Diesel every so often, we’re not really much closer to the release of Fast Forever. The sequel is currently slated for a March 17, 2028 release, but it remains to be seen if that date will stick. Five years is a hell of a wait to find out how the cliffhanger will be resolved. Alan Ritchson, who played Aimes in Fast X, is expected to return for Fast Forever, and he recently spoke of some of the challenges the sequel is facing.
Alan Ritchson on Fast Forever
“I know a lot, we have conversations all the time, I’m a big part of those conversations,” Ritchon said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “There’s just a lot of obstacles. It’s expensive to make— it’s too expensive; it doesn’t make a ton of sense. There’s a more efficient way to shoot those shows. And so there has to be a way to show restraint, while also honoring the fact that this world has expanded to something humongous. We are at the crossroads of something very hard to figure out, and everybody’s figuring it out.“
Despite the struggles, Ritchson is confident that Fast Forever will happen, one way or another. “There’s going to be another one, and I think it’s going to be great,” he said. “It’s just a matter of solving some big problems.“
Fast X had a massive budget, and the film’s relatively modest box office performance forced Universal Studios to reevaluate how much gas is left in the tank. Rumours suggest the studio wants to rein in the budget to around $200 million, potentially stripping away the logic-defying stunts of recent entries in favour of a “back-to-basics” throwback to the original 2001 film.
The Year of Ritchson
Ritchson has been very busy. The actor kicked off the year with War Machine, a sci-fi action thriller for Netflix that already has a sequel in the works. In fact, it recently received an official title.
Next up is Motor City, a nearly dialogue-free action flick which is now playing in theaters. He will also be starring in The Man with the Bag, a Christmas action comedy which features Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus. The description reads, “When Santa’s magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance, a former thief, to help him get it back.” It will be released on Prime Video on December 2.
Another season of Reacher will also debut on August 12, and Ritchson will be putting in an appearance in Neagley. The spinoff focuses on Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), a friend of Reacher. “Frances Neagley is a private investigator in Chicago. When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice,” reads the description. “Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.“ The spinoff will drop on September 16.
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