Fast & Furious 11 has received a couple of disappointing updates over the past few weeks, from Jason Momoa confirming that he’s not yet received a script for the sequel, to Vin Diesel seemingly revealing that filming has begun for another side project to accompany the film. Fast 11 needs to end the franchise on a high, but this is looking increasingly hard.

It’s been over two years since Fast X was released, and the arrival of its sequel is looking no closer. It seems like Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez have been working on a short film that serves as a prequel to Fast 11, and apparently before the main film’s script has even been completed. This can only spell trouble for the series, which is already on its last legs.

Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Be The Franchise’s Priority

Over the past few years, the Fast & Furious franchise has repeatedly proven that Fast 11 isn’t the main priority. Despite setting itself up perfectly for an intense, exciting conclusion thanks to Fast X‘s cliffhanger ending, the sequel has been unable to get off the ground due to several frustrating distractions and delays.

This short film with Diesel and Rodriguez is the latest in this long string of non-updates. It feels as though Diesel and the rest of the franchise’s writers are hesitant to actually bring this series to a close, and they’re using these side projects as a way to buy themselves some time before Fast & Furious has to end.

This could also explain why there have been so many rumored Fast & Furious projects over the past few years, from Hobbs & Shaw 2 to an all-female reboot, but none that have actually come to fruition. There’s a clear lack of direction following Fast X, and Fast 11 is the only way to give audiences what they actually want: a satisfying ending.

What this franchise has to understand is that fans won’t care about these spinoffs and prequels until Fast 11 has paid off all the loose threads and hanging subplots that are still boiling over in the main franchise. This prequel short film that Diesel and Rodriguez are currently making does nothing to answer the questions that audiences actually want resolved.

The Fast & Furious franchise has been around for more than two decades now, and Fast 11 still has the perfect opportunity to be a moving, emotional finale that rewards those fans who’ve stuck around since the beginning. But the longer it takes to come out, the less excitement there will be when it’s actually ready.

Fast & Furious 11’s Lack Of Direction Is Ruining The Sequel’s Momentum

Theoretically, Fast 11 should have been the easiest sequel to make in this franchise. Yes, there’s a lot of pressure riding on the movie to wrap up the saga in a meaningful way, but most of the plot beats have already been set up by Fast X. This is the second part of the same story, so the writers should have a clear map of what the narrative will look like.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Momoa has confirmed that he’s not seen a script, which either means he’s only got a small role in the film — which doesn’t make sense given Fast X‘s ending — or the story hasn’t been finished.

It seems like Fast X was written without any clear plan of how to resolve the cliffhanger, which is now tying the writers up in knots. This would never have been a problem if the franchise had stayed clear in its priorities, waiting until after Fast 11 had been released to get involved with all these spinoffs, prequels, and short films.

The lack of a script means it’s going to be at least another two years before Fast 11 actually releases, and that’s the best-case scenario. There could theoretically be a five-year gap between Fast X and Fast 11, which feels like a major misstep for two movies that are so тιԍнтly connected in their narratives.

The lack of direction is one thing, but the delays are what could really kill Fast 11 before it even comes out. The reputation of the Fast & Furious franchise has already gone downhill in recent years, with certain Fast sequels getting increasingly silly and leaving the grounded, character-driven storytelling of the originals in the dust.

This means that the audience’s patience is already wearing thin, and a five-year wait for Fast 11 is certainly not going to do the franchise any favors. Those long-time fans who’ve been around since the beginning will be sure to tune back in to see what happens to Dom and his friends, but it’s hard to imagine more casual fans doing the same.

Fast & Furious 11 needs to be the franchise’s priority over the next few years if the series is ever going to end on a positive note. Fast X may have received mixed reviews, but it was ultimately praised for the way it clearly set up the conclusion of this franchise. That hasn’t been paid off yet, and the franchise has lost a lot of goodwill as a result.