--- title: "Vin Diesel Announced the Last Fast & Furious Before Universal Said Yes" description: "There was no way the *Fast & Furious* franchise was ending on anyone's terms but Vin Diesel's. Dominic Toretto is the face and the engine of the film franchise, and in case you had any doubt, we've just learned that…" date: "2026-03-31" modified: "2026-03-31" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/vin-diesel-announced-the-last-fast-furious-before-universal-said-yes" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # Vin Diesel Announced the Last Fast & Furious Before Universal Said Yes ![Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at the premiere of 2009's "Fast & Furious."]() *Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at the premiere of 2009's "Fast & Furious." \Kevin Winter/Getty Images\* There was no way the *Fast & Furious* franchise was ending on anyone's terms but Vin Diesel's. Dominic Toretto is the face and the engine of the film franchise, and in case you had any doubt, we've just learned that when the action movie star [announced *Fast Forever* last June](), Universal hadn't even greenlit the project yet. No, really. This past weekend at FuelFest in Tampa, Paul Walker's brother, Cody Walker, who will be helping to play Brian O'Conner in the 2028 movie, said that when Vin stood on stage and effectively confirmed *Fast Forever* last year, the studio hadn't signed off on it, and the cast practically learned about it on the spot. "That caught us all by surprise," Walker said in response to a comment about the announcement during a *[HotCars]()* interview. "Standing on the stage with him and he makes the announcement, and I'm like, 'Oh yeah?' Now I have to field a bunch of questions and I don't know the answers." "Vin goes, 'You know, Universal hasn't greenlit the project yet. They will, but it hasn't been greenlit yet,'" Walker said. "I go, 'Yeah I know.' He goes, 'I'm gonna go on stage and I'm gonna make the announcement and you'll see what happens.' So he went on the stage, he made the announcement, Universal didn't even know the movie was coming out. Now they do and it's greenlit." > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by HotCars (@hotcars.official)]() Bold tactic, but then you'd expect nothing less from Vin Diesel. *Fast X* hit theaters in 2023, and the release of the final chapter in the saga has taken longer than fans—and, we're willing to bet, Dom himself—would've liked. Did he preemptively announce the movie just to get negotiations moving again? To put Universal in a position where they couldn't say no? Who knows. You'd imagine that, as a producer and lead actor, he wouldn't have made the move if he didn't have full confidence in the result. Maybe the "green light" was just a formality at that point in time. Perhaps one day, Vin Diesel will share more of a behind-the-scenes view there. What we do know is that *Fast Forever* is officially coming—[now in March of 2028](), rather than April of next year as he initially said. It will return the franchise to its roots in the LA street racing scene, and it'll reunite Dom and Brian, [with Cody's help and a bit of computer magic](). *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()