The FAST AND FURIOUS Franchise May Have Found Its Next Star to Replace Vin Diesel

The Fast & Furious franchise may be getting ready for its biggest gear change yet, and it could involve Vin Diesel eventually handing the keys to a new generation.

Ever since Fast X ended in 2023 with Dom Toretto driving his 1970 Dodge Charger R/T down the side of an exploding dam, fans have been waiting to see how Universal plans to continue the story and end the saga.

The movie also brought Gisele Yashar back from the dead, complete with a submarine, while Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs made his long-awaited return.

That left Fast Forever with plenty to deal with, but a new rumor suggests the next movie could have an even bigger job, and that’s deciding what this franchise looks like without Diesel at the center of it.

According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider newsletter, Charles Melton is a name being discussed in connection with the next Fast & Furious movie and potentially the future of the franchise.

Melton, known for Beef and May December, was recently linked to the MCU before reportedly passing on that opportunity for a leading role in the live-action Naruto movie.

Universal, however, is pushing back on the report. Sneider says a studio spokesperson issued a “blanket denial” regarding Melton and the other claims surrounding the movie. ComicBook also contacted the studio and was told there was “no truth” to the rumors.

So, Melton hasn’t officially been handed the keys to a Charger just yet. The more interesting part of the report is what Universal may be considering for the larger Fast & Furious franchise.

According to Sneider, development on the next film remains very early. Despite Diesel previously saying that he cried after reading the script, the report claims there currently isn’t a finished script and no director is attached.

The bigger potential change involves the franchise’s supposed finish line. Rather than Fast Forever serving as the definitive ending of the movie series, it could become a passing-the-torch story that allows Diesel’s Dom to step aside while introducing a younger group of characters capable of carrying Fast & Furious forward.

That’s reportedly where Melton could come into the picture. It doesn’t necessarily mean Melton would literally replace Diesel as the new Dom Toretto.

A new generation of characters could give Universal a way to continue the series without trying to recreate Dom or simply swap one actor for another. After more than two decades of Diesel serving as the face of the movies, that would be a pretty significant change.

There’s also the question of when we’ll actually see the next movie. Sneider reports that production may not begin until early 2028, which would make the currently announced March 2028 release date extremely difficult to hit, so another release date change seems likely.

For now, every part of this needs to remain firmly in rumor territory. Universal has denied the claims, there reportedly isn’t a script, and the franchise’s long-term direction could still change considerably before cameras start rolling.

Still, the possibility of a generational handoff makes sense when looking at what Universal is already doing with the property. A live-action Fast & Furious TV series has been greenlit for Peacock, opening another lane for the franchise outside the main movies.

That raises some fun questions about where everything goes from here. Could the television series introduce characters who eventually cross into the films? Could Fast Forever become the bridge between Diesel’s era and a younger crew? Could Melton be one of the actors Universal sees as part of that future?

Right now, nobody outside the people involved knows for sure. What we do know is that Fast & Furious suddenly has a lot more uncertainty surrounding its future than it did during the franchise’s billion-dollar heyday.

For a franchise built around increasingly ridiculous ways to keep moving forward, finding a way to survive without Vin Diesel may end up being its biggest stunt yet.