Michelle Rodriguez has been with the Fast & Furious franchise since the very beginning, but she's not shy about her disappointment with where the series has ended up. As the saga prepares to close with its 11th installment, Fast Forever, Rodriguez is making one thing clear: she wants the finale to honor the gritty street racing origins that started it all.
Speaking at the 25th-anniversary celebration of the blockbuster franchise, Rodriguez didn't hold back when asked about her hopes for the final chapter. She's tired of the globe-trotting, spy-movie antics that have defined the series since Fast Five shifted it from underground racing to international heists and world-saving missions. The team has gone from stealing DVD players to launching cars into space, and Rodriguez is ready for a return to form.
“My big hope, if I have any wish for the last one, is that they bring it back to the community,” Rodriguez told The Hollywood Reporter. “Because that community has kept us alive for 25 years, and it's a global community. It has to do with cars, man, not this 007 bring your cars to space s**t. Let's get back to what it all started as: an article in the paper about the racing. Let's go back there.”
Her comments echo a sentiment shared by many longtime fans who've watched the franchise evolve from a grounded crime drama into a superhero-adjacent spectacle. The shift began with Fast Five, which introduced a heist formula that proved wildly successful, but also paved the way for increasingly outlandish set pieces—like racing a nuclear submarine and flying cars between skyscrapers in Dubai. While those moments have thrilled audiences and helped the franchise gross nearly $7.5 billion worldwide, Rodriguez believes the heart of the series lies in its car culture roots.
The upcoming Fast Forever has been in development for years, with production delays and creative shifts keeping it in limbo. The most recent entry, Fast X, hit theaters in 2023 after a turbulent production, and while it earned $714 million globally, it was seen as a relative underperformer given its massive $380 million budget. Now, star Vin Diesel has teased that filming will begin in December, and he's already shared that reading the script moved him to tears.
Rodriguez's plea is a bold one, especially given the franchise's recent trajectory. But she's not alone in wanting a return to the series' street-level beginnings. The Fast & Furious franchise has always been about family—both the one you're born into and the one you choose—and for many, that family was forged in the underground racing scene of Los Angeles. As the saga prepares to close, Rodriguez is advocating for a finale that honors that legacy.
Whether the studio will listen remains to be seen. But with Fast Forever poised to be the last ride for Dominic Toretto and his crew, fans are hoping for a send-off that feels both epic and grounded. For Rodriguez, the answer is simple: bring it back to the streets, back to the cars, and back to the community that made it all possible.
While we wait for more news on Fast Forever, check out our coverage of the upcoming 4K collector's edition of the original film, or dive into our ranking of the best Ted Lasso characters for a different kind of entertainment fix. And if you're curious about other franchises that have taken unexpected turns, our update on The Batman Part II might surprise you.
