Fast & Furious 11 Director Reveals The Main Problem Facing the Final Movie But He’s Got Good News Too
The buzz is starting to build around the final entry in the Fast & Furious franchise, but despite recent teases of filming and reading the script, filming on the project hasn’t actually begun. Despite the delays, Fast & Furious 11 still has its cast on board as well as its director Louis Leterrier, though he is keeping busy with a host of other projects. As for the reason why the film is taking so long, Leterrier recently shed some light on that subject, but there’s still good news to be had.
Leterrier is getting ready to wrap up his new Apple Thriller Liminal, and he’s also on deck for the fourth season of Netflix’s hit series Lupin. Even with his busy schedule, Leterrier recently revealed to THR that he’s still attached and on board for Fast & Furious 11, which is great news, though he also revealed that the primary reason for the delay is due to getting the budget where they need it to be to align with a more tumultuous box office landscape.
“I can’t wait, but I also cannot wait. Directors don’t idle well, so I have to direct [other projects until then]. I love this franchise, and I hope we get to finish in the best way possible,” Leterrier said. “I’m contracted. [If] we go, we go. We’re lucky to be having a great year [at the box office], but it’s different now. Movies have evolved and tastes have evolved and the box office has evolved. So we have to align our budgetary needs to the reality of the box office. We know that, and it’s fine. Everybody does that. It’ll be fine.”
Universal Is Smart To Reign In The Fast 11 Budget
It’s been a rather difficult time at the box office over the past year, as for every soaring success there are 3 or 4 films that underperform. That’s even true of major franchises like Masters of the Universe, Supergirl, Minions, Moana, and more, and star power doesn’t cure all either, as films like Disclosure Day couldn’t rise above the noise either.
That’s why it’s smart for Universal to rein in the Fast 11 budget, even if it’s just by a little. The past few Fast & Furious films have still done well, but they haven’t crossed the $800 million mark like the two previous films, which ended up hitting a billion. With this being the final film in this current saga, odds are it will do quite well, but with how unpredictable the box office is at the moment, you want to stack the deck in terms of profitability.
On top of that, the franchise will still be around after the film thanks to four new TV projects in development, and those projects look to feature legacy characters from the franchise. Even if a reboot with new characters ends up happening at some point, having the final film go out on a high note will make the path much easier.
Fast & Furious 11 is slated to hit in 2027.
