Jeff Sneider, via his newsletter, is reporting that Universal is going back to basics with ‘Fast and the Furious 11.’

Sneider indicates the studio is aiming to go “lean and mean” with the eleventh film in the series in an attempt to cut spending that saw the production of “Fast X” inflate to a $340 million budget. I don’t think, save for ‘Avatar 2,’ that there was a film released this decade with a higher budget than that one.

Sneider’s source says “Fast 11” will have a budget well under $200 million with less globe-hopping and the plot to revolve over a single heist or race. Keeping it simple is something that this franchise desperately needs as it seems like, with new every movie, they keep trying the “bigger is better” method.

And, how about Vin Diesel? The actor was recently accused of 𝑠e𝑥ually assaulting his assistant in 2010, but Sneider says Diesel will be back in what will likely be his character’s “last” ride. I’ve also been hearing that a new ‘Riddick‘ movie was greenlit recently, and is still moving forward.

“Fast X” ended on a cliffhanger. The problem for Universal is that it underperformed at the box office, pulling in $714.6 million worldwide. There have been multiple attempts at cracking the script for the next film, with, at least, three writers having already been hired. Universal has already dated it for an April 4th, 2025 release.

One thing’s for certain, there will be big guns, big muscles, big cars etc. This eleventh chapter will also, I’m just guessing here, end with a big family barbecue where the whole cast is gathered together as the camera slowly rises to the clouds.

I’ve, painstakingly, seen all ten of the previous ‘fast’ movies and only, moderately, liked two of them: 2011’s “Fast Five,” and 2006’s “Tokyo Drift,” the rest were as bland, overstylized and empty as Vin Diesel’s acting.