According to Fast and Furious alum Tyrese Gibson, the upcoming sequel Fast X will take the hugely successful action franchise back to its “roots.” Appearing in a recent video on Fast X co-star Vin Diesel’s Instagram, Gibson revealed that they have been listening to the fans and that the follow-up will go back to what made the Fast and Furious so popular in the first place.

“The fans have been wanting over the years for us to get back to the roots of what we know and love about Fast. We’ve heard you. And we’re doing it.”

The latest video from Vin Diesel shows himself and Gibson on the set of Fast X, with a caption alongside the footage revealing that the production is now in week 7 of filming on the highly anticipated sequel. Now, what exactly Tyrese Gibson means when he says that Fast X will “get back to the roots” is anyone’s guess. But it’s unlikely that the gang will once again be stealing DVD players from trucks.

Gibson could mean, however, that the Fast and Furious family will take on a much more insular mission of some sort in Fast X — a mission that will no doubt involve a heist of some sort. Since their relatively humble beginnings, most of which involved street racing, the family has since become akin to the crew of Mission: Impossible. Undertaking world-saving assignments have become their modus operandi, but it sounds like Fast X could change this, bringing things back down to earth rather than shooting Dom and his family back into space. Again.

Bringing Fast X to the Big Screen Has Been Far More Dramatic Than Anyone Expected

While we ponder what exactly the “back to the roots” story of Fast X will involve, the task of bringing the sequel to the big screen has been more than dramatic enough all on its own. The backstage drama began when director Justin Lin, who was signed on to direct both Fast X and Fast and Furious 11, suddenly walked away from the project after less than a month of filming. Citing “creative differences,” it has since emerged that Lin may have left the world of Fast and Furious behind thanks to the behavior of Vin Diesel.

Further reports have claimed a “major disagreement” between Justin Lin and Vin Diesel which occurred during a four-person meeting. Diesel reportedly arrived with notes, something Justin Lin was understandably unhappy with, considering he believed the script to be finished, with the meeting reportedly ending with “a slammed door,” with sources saying that “Justin finally had enough and said, ‘This movie is not worth my mental health.’”

The Incredible Hulk’s Louis Leterrier will now direct Fast X. Starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, and Charlize Theron, Fast X will add Jason Momoa as the villain alongside Daniela Melchior and Brie Larson.

Fast X is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 19, 2023, by Universal Pictures.