The road to the end of the Fast & Furious franchise just took a major step forward. After years of buildup, shifting plans, and one massive cliffhanger, the long-anticipated finale, Fast Forever, is finally gaining traction as Vin Diesel has brought in a writer with some serious franchise experience.
Fans have been waiting to see how the story picks up after Fast X left everyone hanging, and now we know who’s helping steer the final chapter.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie has officially been tapped to work on the script, giving the project a fresh creative push as it barrels toward the finish line.
Diesel shared the news himself in a heartfelt Instagram post, reflecting on the journey that got the franchise here:
“25 years. Eight directors. Countless writers, crew members, performers, each one giving something real to a saga that has outlasted trends, cynics, and time itself. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because people show up and pour themselves into something bigger than any one individual.”
Diesel went on making it clear that wrapping up this story carries some serious emotional weight:
“There is a particular weight that comes with delivering a finale. A responsibility you feel in your chest, to everyone who gave something to get here, to the audience that stayed.
“You don’t take that lightly. You take it as fuel. And when you find out you’re going back to Los Angeles… back to the streets where it all began, something clicks into place.”
“The city that made the first film feel alive, still here, still holding. Coming home to close it out right,” the actor continued. “That’s not logistics. That’s a gift.”
Lesslie isn’t coming in from nowhere. He’s been building a strong reputation in franchise storytelling, having worked on The Hunger Games prequel and landing the job to write the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping.
Lesslie has also been tied to Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot for a while now. It’s been reported that he’s been actively working on it.
He’s stepping in to rewrite a previous draft by Aaron Rabin and Zach Dean, suggesting Universal wants to make sure this finale lands the way it should.
Over the past 25 years, the franchise has pulled in more than $7.3 billion worldwide. It’s grown into a global juggernaut with theme park attractions, spinoffs, and a fanbase that keeps showing up whether they’re in it for the action, the family dynamic, or the sheer insanity of it all.
Furious 7 still stands as the peak with $1.5 billion, while Fast X pulled in $704 million, which left some fans expecting more.
Now, we’re all just waiting on Fast Forever to bring everything together and give Dom and the crew a proper send-off and dive off into the sunset.
Fast Forever is currently set to hit theaters on March 17, 2028.
