Summary
Fast & Furious 11gets a potential new tease from Vin Diesel, who recently reunited with a character from the franchise’s past. After the release ofFast Xlast year, Diesel is now set to return as Dom Toretto for one last ride.Fast & Furious 11’s release dateis currently scheduled for 2026, with the Louis Leterrier-directed film set to bring together a variety of characters from across the hit franchise.
Dieselnow shares a new post of himself on Instagram with actor Devon Aoki, who appeared in 2003’s2 Fast 2 Furiousas Suki. Check out Diesel’s post below, which could be teasing a potential return from Suki inFast & Furious 11:
“One of my favorite pics of 2024,” Diesel writes in his caption. “[T]wo decades for this moment…as we are in preproduction for the Fast finale, Pablo sent a message, Suki.” WhileDiesel’s mention of the upcoming film could be a hint of what’s to come, it’s also possible that the image and caption are just celebrating a meeting of two members of theFast & Furiousfamily, with no Suki return actually planned.Aokiposted the same photo on her own account, writing that her “heart is full.”
Fast & Furious: What Happened To Suki After 2 Fast 2 Furious
Devon Aoki only played Suki in 2 Fast 2 Furious before disappearing from the franchise. Why didn’t the actress ever reprise the role since 2003?
Would Suki’s Return Make Sense For Fast & Furious 11?
How Devon Aoki Could Return
2 Fast 2 Furious, notably, is the only film in the franchise to not feature an appearance from Diesel’s Dom. Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner serves as the sole protagonist of the film, with other franchise veterans like Tyrese Gibson’s Roman and Ludacris' Tej also appearing. Though Dom isn’t a part of the narrative of the 2003 film, it could certainly still work to have Suki return inFast & Furious 11.
2 Fast 2 Furiousalso starred Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, and James Remar.
Some of theFast Xreviewscriticized the film for having an unwieldy cast, but it seems likely thataudiences will be seeing some familiar faces from the franchise’s past whenFast & Furious 11releases. A core theme of the franchise has always been the importance of family, and Suki, despite being a relatively minor supporting character in the grand scheme of things, is a part of this extended family. Plus, Suki’s return, even if it’s just a cameo, could be used to honor a much more prominent character and actor.
Walker tragically passed away in 2013 during themaking ofFurious 7,but Brian remains alive in the franchise. Diesel has previously teasedFast & Furious 11will feature some kind of farewell to Brian, and it’s entirely possible that Suki’s return could play a part in this. Many questions still remain aboutFast & Furious 11, but Diesel is evidently hard at work crafting a compelling finale for the franchise.
Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Avoid A Key Fast X Complaint
Fast Xearned mixed reviews last year, and, as seen in the chart below, the film currently boasts a lackluster 56% onRotten Tomatoes. A key criticism was that none of the characters get enough time to shine. Over the years, theFast & Furiouscast has only ever gotten bigger, andthe most recent installment struggles to balance new characters with legacy players. One of the franchise’s biggest flaws and biggest strengths, then, is really how much it loves all its characters, with more constantly joining but few ever leaving.
56%
84%
56/100
4.8/10
5.7/10
Though theFast Xendingleaves several characters' fates in the balance, teases thus far suggest the cast for the upcoming installment is only set to grow. In addition to a Brian appearance and a potential return for Suki,Fast Xfeatures the return of Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs and Gal Gadot as Giselle. AssumingFast & Furious 11won’t open with the reveal that characters like Roman, Tej, Han (Sung Kang), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) died when their plane got shot down at the end of the latest film, the upcoming installment will feature more characters than ever before.
In addition to posing storytelling problems,Fast X’s large castalso reportedly led to a fairly significant ballooning of the budget.Fast X’s budget is estimated to be about $340 million (though some reports claim it’s actually higher), making the movie not only the most expensive in the franchise, but one of the most expensive movies of all time. DespiteFast Xgrossing $704.9 millionat the box office,the movie was actually a commercial disappointment due to its high budget, and it more than likely did not break even.
Fast & Furious 11 Could Send The Franchise Out On A High Note
The Final Installment Could Go Back To The Franchise’s Roots
AlthoughFast Xpaints a worrying picture for the franchise’s finale, there have been reports, though unconfirmed, thatFast & Furious 11will return to the franchise’s roots. If the final installment in the franchise features a reduced budget and an increased focus on street-level action with smaller stakes, it could be the perfect way to end a decades-long franchise, even if it does feature a massive cast. From Diesel’s recent Instagram posts, it certainly appears that he’ll be doing a lot of his own driving for the film, which could hint at a turn away from CGI-heavy sequences.
In May,Diesel shared a postrevealing that he had started driving training at the same track used to film parts ofF9: The Fast Saga.
Though the franchise has certainly evolved over the years, its characters remain one of its main draws. Dom, despite having become a somewhat one-note superhero, clearly does mean a lot to audiences, and its through his love of characters like Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Brian, and others, that the franchise has explored themes relating to family. If Aoki does return as Suki inFast & Furious 11, it will undoubtedly be done with a lot of love and with positive intentions, as is franchise tradition.
Fast X: Part 2
Cast
Fast X: Part 2 continues the high-octane saga as the eleventh installment in The Fast Saga, directly following the events of Fast X. The film reunites the ensemble cast as they face new challenges and adversaries on their globe-trotting adventures in the pursuit of justice and survival.
