‘Fast X’ Star Alan Ritchson Digs Into the Delays Behind ‘Fast Forever’

Despite what may have been insinuated on social media, the 11th Fast and Furious film has not yet started filming. After years of delays it has a title, Fast Forever, and a release date, March 17, 2028, but that’s it. And almost everyone involved is as frustrated as fans are that it has taken this long to even get to this point.
“It sucks,” Fast X star Jason Momoa told io9 earlier this summer when asked about the delay. “I heard it’s coming back. I think everything’s happening. I won’t say much about that, but I know it’s all happening. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be in there.”
In the 2023 film, Momoa’s character, Dante Reyes, is eventually revealed to be working with the covert agent Aimes, played by Alan Ritchson. And, in a new interview, Ritchson echoed his co-star’s sentiments while also offering a bit more perspective.
“I know a lot,” the Reacher star said on Happy Sad Confused. “We have conversations all the time… But there’s just a lot of obstacles. It’s expensive to make that; it’s too expensive to make those. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense. There’s a more efficient way to shoot those [movies].”
“There has to be a way to show restraint while also honoring the fact that this world has expanded to something humongous,” he continued. “That gets very difficult. Now, we’re at the crossroads of something very hard to figure out, and everybody’s figuring it out.”
Which all sounds very, very pessimistic for a film with a release date, but Ritchson did eventually say he thinks it’ll work out. “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.” Watch the segment here:
As the film is still a little under two years away, production wouldn’t really have to start until early next year. So there is still a lot of time to work everything out. But, after the critical and financial failure of Fast X, Universal and the team behind the movie know it needs another Fast Five-sized hit to warrant the cost. Or, the whole thing has to be dialed way, way down.
Do you think Fast Forever will actually come out in March 2028? Let us know.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.