Vin Diesel says ’Fast X’ sequel isn’t a sequel: It’s ‘Part 2’ in a 2-film ‘Fast Saga’ finale

We always knew one movie wouldn't be enough to bring the long and twisty Fast Saga to a properly epic end. With the hype needle nearing the redline as Fast X comes careening toward its May 19 date with theaters, Vin Diesel has confirmed what previous chatter about the final two Fast & Furious movies has been hinting all along: The sequel to Fast X won’t actually be a separate standalone movie. Instead, it’ll be a “Part 2” second act that continues the story action right where this year’s movie leaves off.

“This summer is only the beginning of Fast X,” Diesel told a crowd filled with theater owners at this week’s CinemaCon event in Las Vegas, via Entertainment Weekly. “And with all of your effort and with all of your love and the fact that you are a part of our family, Fast X will continue. And after this explosive summer, I will have the privilege of coming to you for Part 2 in 2025.”

RELATED: Will any characters die in 'Fast X'? Director teases not everyone will ride off into the sunset

While the lore of all the Fast Saga movies threads together in a continuity that’s tightened since 2009’s Fast & Furious, each entry in the franchise has been released as its own freestanding film. That’s allowed each feature a nimbleness to drop in on the family’s recurring characters at various later points in their lives while introducing new themes (and characters) under the creative guidance of directors bound to each individual project.

But Fast X and its followup have a weightier story task to carry out, sending off Universal Pictures’ longest-running film series in a two-installment arc that, when concluded, will amount to one gargantuan mega-movie. It’s the same kind of two-film finish that’s previously been deployed for both Hogwarts (in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2) and for The Hunger Games (with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 & 2), each of which sprawled across both penultimate and final chapters to deliver satisfying story payoffs.

In keeping with plans to treat the Fast X name as a single umbrella that covers a two-film finish, one director — Louis Leterrier — will be at the wheel for both installments. Word dropped just last week that Leterrier would be returning to steer the final FF movie chapter all the way to the end, a move that definitely aligns with Diesel’s recent CinemaCon comments. And in more Fast X news, the upcoming second film also has just landed a screenwriting duo, teaming The Flash and Bumblebee scribe Christina Hodson with The Cloverfield Paradox writer Oren Uziel.

“Fast is now the longest franchise in motion picture history … with the same actors playing the same characters,” Diesel reportedly told the Las Vegas crowd. “This is our family, the audience is our family, and as we were building towards this achievement we attracted directors who brought their own magic to the saga ... I'm proud to say for nearly two decades the Fast films have been the most successful film of every one of our directors.”

Though Universal hasn’t revealed a premiere date for Part 2 of Fast X, Diesel’s 2025 tease means that Dom Toretto (Diesel) and the entire Fast & Furious crew have their foot to the floor in getting the second film across the line while the events of this year’s first act are still fresh in fans’ minds. In the meantime, the wait’s nearly over for one of the biggest movie events of the year: Part 1 of Fast X comes drifting onto big screens everywhere beginning May 19. Score your tickets here!

Strap in with even more Fast Saga action at Peacock, where both The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Furious 7 are streaming ‘round the clock.