“Hunger Games” prequel screenwriter Michael Lesslie has been tapped to rewrite the upcoming “Fast and Furious” finale, titled “Fast Forever,” from a script previously written by Aaron Rabin and Zach Dean.
The racing franchise’s star and producer Vin Diesel announced the news on his Instagram account Thursday, where he confirmed Lesslie was set to contribute to the new installment.
“Sitting across from Mike Lesslie, hearing what he plans to contribute to the polish of the next chapter, that same feeling returned,” Diesel wrote on Instagram. “A story with something real beating inside it.”
As Diesel continued, he reflected on the “particular weight that comes with delivering a finale,” adding, “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. That’s not logistics. That’s a gift.” Read his full statement below.
Since 2023, when Universal unleashed the wildly expensive “Fast X,” that saw director Louis Leterrier step into production mid-stream after original director Justin Lin left the movie, we have been wondering what exactly has been going on with the franchise. “Fast X” was meant to be the first part of a two-part saga, given the movie didn’t even have a proper ending as it opted for a cliffhanger.
But now we at least know when the franchise will be making its return, with Universal dating “Fast Forever” for March 17, 2028.
Beyond that, there are no details – will Louis Leterrier be back to direct? Will, as the last installment promised, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson return to the series? And who from the original cast will also be making it back?
“Fast Forever” will be the 12th overall film in the franchise.
As for Lesslie, the screenwriter notably wrote 2023’s “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which relaunched the teen dystopian franchise. He also wrote the next prequel in the “Hunger Games” franchise, “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” which is due out in November of this year.
Lesslie’s other credits include the sequel to “Now You See Me,” titled “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” He is also set to write the screenplay for an untitled “X-Men” project, which will serve as Marvel Studios’ introduction of the mutant superhero team in the MCU.
Lesslie is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment.
