With nine movies to compete with, Alan Ritchson’s claim that Fast X will be the franchise’s best movie is almost impossible. After 21 years, the multi-billion-dollar franchise is concluding The Fast Saga with a two-part finale that will likely set up various spinoffs. The first part – dubbed Fast X – is set to release on May 19th, 2023, following a two-year delay due to COVID-19.
It's confirmed that Fast Saga alums Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Nathalie Emmanuel will all be returning, alongside Charlize Theron, whose Cipher survived the events of F9. Gal Gadot’s Giselle or Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody may also return, following The Fast Saga’s other death retcons. The Fast Family is also growing, adding Jason Mamoa as a villain alongside the additions of Daniela Melchoir, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, and Alan Ritchson to its roster. Following his wrap on the Fast X film, Ritchson confidently declared the movie is “for sure gonna be the best one in the franchise” (via Instagram).
Ridiculous set pieces, ambitious stunts, and the power of family helped lead the Fast franchise to become the eighth highest-grossing film series and Universal’s biggest franchise to date. The brother-like relationship between Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) also provided key heart and soul of the earlier films. While Fast X may be able to honor some of these qualities, it’s almost impossible it will be the best one, given the legacy of former installments.
Fast & Furious 10 Already Sounds Great, But Probably Won't Be The Best One
Fast X is set up to be a hit, but it likely won’t supersede Tokyo Drift, Fast Five, Furious 7, or F9. Though polarizing, Tokyo Drift, is arguably one of the best because of its simple storyline, dedication to street-race culture (like the epic Shibuya chase), and its catchy theme song. The Fast outlier was also directed by Justin Lin – credited with saving the franchise between films 4-7 – and introduced one of Fast’s best characters, Han Lue (Sung Kang). The Fast Saga came into its own with Fast 5, which somehow justified its four disjointed predecessors as one big plot set-up. Also, Dom learns Mia is pregnant, declaring “[t]he family just got bigger.” It grew in more ways than one, introducing Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Giselle and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). The film also exemplified the franchise’s smooth transition from street racing to epic stunts, with a train heist and bank-vault robbery.
Similarly, Fast X will find itself compared to Furious 7, a film where the franchise's stunts evolved into parachuting out of airplanes and driving between skyscrapers. Memorably, the end scene featured an emotional tribute to Walker, who unfortunately passed during filming. This not only helped say goodbye to Walker and Brian O’Conner, it grounded the film in Fast’s roots: its themes of family. This contributed to its $143.6 million USD box office weekend opening (via The Guardian). Following a lukewarm reception to The Fate of the Furious, the franchise unexpectedly recovered with F9. Han’s return (he was presumed dead after Tokyo Drift), Tej and Roman’s absurd adventure to space, John Cena joining as Dom’s long-lost brother, and Fast-genius Lin returning to direct all contributed to the comeback.
Things looked good for Fast X when Lin’s return as director was announced. Unfortunately, he stepped down after filming began and was replaced by Louis Leterrier, meaning Fast X may be missing the franchise’s secret ingredient. This, along with previous installments’ reverence make Alan Ritchson’s claim that The Fast and Furious 10 will be The Fast Saga’s best movie seem almost impossible.
