Fast & Furious at 25: Universal re-releases the original, Vin Diesel tears up over the final chapter, and a TV universe is taking shape at Peacock
Universal Pictures re-released the original The Fast and the Furious in theatres on 21 August 2026, marking the film's 25th anniversary with a special Los Angeles screening that doubled as a victory lap for a franchise still expanding — not winding down (The Hollywood Reporter).
At the LA event, Vin Diesel delivered a long, emotional speech and teased the upcoming eleventh film, titled Fast Forever: "There's going to be an emotion you have when you watch this film." He had already gone further on social media, calling the script "the best script I have read in decades. I am still crying." Diesel confirmed that Fast Forever, set for release on 17 March 2028, will serve as the final chapter of the Fast & Furious saga (Instagram; The Hollywood Reporter). Universal's own upcoming-movies page lists the 17 March 2028 date (Universal Pictures).
Not everyone in the core cast has read it yet. Michelle Rodriguez said she had not seen the script and hoped the final film would bring the franchise back to its car-racing roots. Jordana Brewster said she had spoken to Diesel about the new movie but had not seen the script either; her wish was that the film return to Los Angeles. Both remarks came in the same 18 August report from The Hollywood Reporter.
Rodriguez also framed Fast Forever as a possible farewell for the original trio — herself, Diesel and Brewster — describing them as "a bridge to another generation" passing the baton on. That language lines up with the franchise's broader expansion into television. At least one Fast & Furious TV series is in development, expanding on the legacy characters, with Diesel executive producing (The Hollywood Reporter; Deadline). In May 2026, Diesel announced that four Fast & Furious shows were in the works for the Peacock streaming service (IGN; Reuters).
Brewster has her own pitch for one of them. She said she admires the Taylor Sheridan television universe — the prolific producer behind Yellowstone and its spin-offs — and has proposed a series following the son and daughter of her character and the late Paul Walker's character. Whether that pitch advances remains an open question.
For fans, the 25th-anniversary moment offers a rare convergence: the original film back on the big screen, a final movie on the calendar for March 2028, and a small-screen universe being built to carry the story forward. Rodriguez, for her part, said she was "in awe at all the love" after a midnight screening of the original film at Cannes earlier in 2025 — a reminder that the audience for this franchise has not gone anywhere.
