Movies - Fast X : Discover the impressive trailer

By Mulder, 10 february 2023

Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious saga, kicks off the final chapters of one of the world's most popular and legendary film franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same cast and characters as when it began. Through many missions and against all odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted all enemies in their path. Now they face the deadliest opponent they've ever faced: a terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past, fueled by blood vengeance, and determined to break up this family and destroy everything and everyone Dom loves, forever.

In the 2011 film Fast Five, Dom and his team took out infamous Brazilian drug lord Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio de Janeiro. What they didn't know was that Reyes' son, Dante (Aquaman's Jason Momoa), had witnessed the scene and spent the last 12 years hatching a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price. Dante's plot will scatter Dom's family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante's revenge.

Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk), Fast X stars former actors Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, John Cena and Scott Eastwood, as well as Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. The film also features an extraordinary new cast, including Oscar® winner Brie Larson as Tess, a representative of the Agency; Alan Richtson (Reacher) as Aimes, the Agency's new director who doesn't have the same affection for Dom's team as his predecessor, Mr. Nobody; Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) as a Brazilian street racer with strong ties to Dom's past; and legendary Oscar® winner Rita Moreno as Dom and Mia's Abuelita Toretto.

With the tenth film scheduled since 2014, and a two-part finale planned since October 2020, Lin has been confirmed to return to direct with the main cast attached. The official title of the film was revealed when principal photography began in April 2022. Lin stepped down as director later that month, citing creative differences, though he retained writing and producing credits. Leterrier was hired to replace him a week later. With an estimated production budget of $340 million, this is the fifth most expensive film ever made. Filming lasted until August, in London, Rome, Turin, Lisbon and Los Angeles.

Filming began on April 21, 2022, the title of the film was revealed and Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang and Charlize Theron have confirmed that they will reprise their roles. According to Diesel, a first version excluded Brewster's character, which he cancelled. The next day, Michael Rooker was confirmed to reprise his role as Buddy from F9. The production budget for Fast X was initially announced at $300 million in May 2022, and then revised to $340 million in November of that year. The film's cast salaries earned over $100 million, including $20 million for Diesel. Other costs driving the budget increase (which takes into account tax incentive offsets) include increased production costs caused by global inflation and costs related to pandemic testing required by COVID-19 safety protocols. According to unnamed sources reported by Radar, Diesel has been "stressing out" over the increased budget and creative decisions in Fast X; the sources wrote that Diesel is considered by Universal to be "both the biggest star they've had and their biggest headache" and that "Diesel doesn't let anyone forget how important the Fast & Furious franchise is to the entire film industry."

A week into shooting, Lin left the film as director due to "creative differences," leaving the primary production in limbo. However, Lin will remain on board as producer. According to later reports, Lin clashed on set with Diesel, who arrived out of shape, often late and unable to remember his lines. Lin was also upset about rewrites to his script, as well as the change in locations and the fact that one of the film's villains had not yet been chosen. A disagreement with Diesel reportedly escalated to the point where Lin shouted, "This movie is not worth my sanity." Production on the second unit continued in the UK while the studio searched for a replacement director. Universal Pictures reportedly spent $1 million a day to halt production. Former Fast & Furious directors F. Gary Gray and David Leitch, who directed The Fate of the Furious and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw respectively, were considered by the studio to replace Lin, but neither was likely to step in due to their commitments with Lift and The Fall Guy (2024), respectively. Furious 7 director James Wan, who had been considered to direct The Fate of the Furious but turned it down due to his harrowing experience on Furious 7, was also considered a "viable option" but was bound by commitments with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). According to Variety, it was unlikely to hire a first-time director without making radical changes to the script, and Universal would likely turn to a second-team director "experienced" with big-budget action films.On May 2, 2022, Louis Leterrier was announced as Lin's replacement. Leterrier already had an established relationship with the studio, having previously directed The Incredible Hulk (2008), and began shooting in London after scheduling and contractual considerations were confirmed. Production in London wrapped in mid-August, with scenes shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden.

Filming took place in Genzano di Roma in mid-May. Filming took place in Rome for two weeks in mid-May and one week in mid-July, with scenes shot on Via Cristoforo Colombo, Lungotevere, Via dei Fori Imperiali, Ponte Umberto I, Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, and the area around Castel Sant'Angelo and the Spanish Steps. Filming then took place in Turin between May 24 and June 6, with action sequences filmed in Piazza Crimea and Corso Fiume, Murazzi del Po, Via Roma, and Piazza IV Marzo.Momoa began shooting his scenes on May 16. As in previous installments, Diesel oversaw the writing and design of the film's action sequences. According to unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter, Diesel's creative control and frequent last-minute changes reflect "a process that resembles a mosaic that never stops moving," calling him "demanding" and a perfectionist. On June 6, it was reported that a stuntman was injured in an accident after being hit by part of a car after an explosion. On July 22, in an interview with Deadline Hollywood during San Diego Comic-Con, Rodriguez announced that she had finished filming her scenes and said there were "only four or five weeks" left in the production. Filming in Angelino Heights (the location of Toretto's home) was protested by some local residents after the production announced the filming of a sequence that would involve "simulated emergency services activity, aerial photography, street wetting and atmospheric smoke." According to these residents, the protest was intended to raise awareness of road safety, as the franchise has turned their neighborhood into a hot spot where fans engage in street racing and other dangerous activities. Filming was able to take place after the August 26 protest, while other parts were shot in Portugal, including Lisbon, Viseu and Vila Real. In an interview with the Lusa news agency, Conceição Azevedo, the mayor of Viseu, announced that the filming would take place on the IP5, a highway located in the municipality of Vouzela. Ritchson finished shooting his scenes on August 16 and alluded to flying cars in the film, stating "we will take it to the sky".

During filming, Sofia Noronha, producer of Wisdom Productions (the company overseeing the production of Fast X in Portugal), said that a "brutal economic investment" will be made in the country by the film. Pointing to the weather, the affordability of the film due to tax incentives and the flexibility of the production, Noronha said that "the investment [of the film] made in the country is almost double the tax incentive. The country [producer] always benefits," which was confirmed during the shooting in Turin, where the two-week program generated 3.8 million euros for the local economy, mainly from expenses related to location rental, hospitality, employment of technical staff and local labor, security and hygiene, and storage and unloading. It was also reported that the film routinely brought in troops of nearly 400 people (5 times the average for comparable films) and often collaborated with hundreds of local professionals to find locations and develop the work plan. In a statement, Beatrice Borgia, president of the Torino Piemonte Film Commission, said: "Fast X is a confirmation of the key role that Turin and Piedmont have acquired in the film industry. We have proven that we have everything we need to host complex productions: skilled professionals, supporting institutions and amazing venues."

Peter Chiang returns as visual effects supervisor for the production, having done so for F9 (2021), with DNEG and Industrial Light & Magic as returning visual effects providers. Composer Brian Tyler is also returning. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in July 2022, Michelle Rodriguez hailed the arrival of Leterrier and his mostly French-speaking creative team as "a French takeover, man." She said Leterrier "came in with all this energy of love [from a] true fan of the franchise who really wants to take it where it hasn't gone before. It reminds you how beautiful and magical cinema is." Several aerial shots were filmed using drones with RED Komodo camera piloted by Johnny Schaer. These filming techniques are similar to those used for the action sequences in Michael Bay's Ambulance (2022). Schaer previously oversaw the drone filming of Rawson Marshall Thurber's Red Notice (2021).

On Feb. 1, the film's teaser poster was released, depicting Diesel alone in the center, bowing his head and clenching a cross between his fists against a dark to light background. For Collider, Safeeyah Kazi said her positioning depicts "intense prayer," with the "small amount of light [from the cross] engulfing his fist acting as optimism in the darkness." She also stated that the relative simplicity of the poster, compared to the "explosion of color" in F9, could indicate a darker scenario in Fast X. Kazi wrote that the film's tagline "the end of the road begins" represents "a new level of intensity," and speculated that it could refer to the end of certain characters in the franchise. In an analysis by WBUF's Matt Singer, Singer called the poster "dark," noting that it was "remarkably tense" compared to posters for other films in the franchise.

Fast X is scheduled for release on May 19, 2023 in the United States. In February 2016, Diesel announced the initial release dates for the ninth and tenth films, with the tenth film originally scheduled for release on April 2, 2021. After F9 delayed the release date of the tenth film due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release date of the tenth film was delayed indefinitely. In June 2021, Diesel announced a planned release date of February 2023. In August of that year, the film was officially announced for release on April 7, 2023. In December, the film was pushed back to May 17, 2023 for France and May 19, 2023 for the United States

Synopsis :
Following the events of F9 (2021), Cipher and Dante unite in their fight against Dominic Toretto and his crew, who are assisted by Tess.

Fast X
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Written by Justin Lin, Dan Mazeau
Based on Characters by Gary Scott Thompson
Produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Justin Lin, Clayton Townsend, Samantha Vincent
Starring Vin Diesel, Jason Statham John Cena, Jason Momoa, Michelle Rodriguez, Brie Larson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Helen Mirren, Cardi B, Rita Moreno, Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot
Cinematography : Stephen F. Windon
Music by Brian Tyler
Production companies : Original Film, One Race Films, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, Perfect Storm Entertainment
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date : May 19, 2023 (United States)