In a Cannes lacking in star power, the Fast & Furious 25th anniversary screening at the Palais was a hot ticket, with Vin Diesel on hand to give a tear-filled tribute to the late Paul Walker.
It was nearing midnight, but the Croisette was busy with the area around the Grand Lumiere theater completely packed with onlookers. The screening itself was not the usual black tie affair; instead, Universal asked guests to adhere to a “casual chic” dress code. For his part, Diesel stepped onto the carpet in a bedazzled suit jacket that was emblazoned with the words ”Fast Forever” in rhinestones. (Universal is set to release the next film, Fast Forever, on March 17, 2028.)
Franchise stars Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez, along with producer Neal H. Mortiz and Universal chairman Donna Langley, were in attendance. Meadow Walker, the daughter of late Fast actor, was also present for the event.
“I’ve never seen a midnight screening like this in my whole life. It’s not like this movie hasn’t been out for a minute,” laughed Diesel inside the theater ahead of the screening. The actor talked about his own personal history with the festival, where he screened his short film over three decades ago. Diesel was content to keep talking, joking to festival head Thierry Fermaux, “Fuck the film. I’m only here once in my whole life.”
Diesel then spent time talking about Walker, who died in 2013 at 40. ”This is a film where brotherhood was introduced to our millennium, by myself and my brother Pablo,” said Diesel. “The person that was not going to let me come alone here to represent that brotherhood was Meadow Walker.”
Fast & Furious is the first installment of the now globe-trotting franchise that has grossed over $7 billion. The original film introduced audiences to Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, a L.A. street racer who is behind a streak of robberies, and Walker’s O’Conner, an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate Toretto’s crew. The Hollywood Reporter’s 2001 review of the original Fast film reads, “The Fast and the Furious has B-movie grit, with sexy young actors, even sexier cars and the smarts to realize a teen movie will only work if you empathize with its characters.”
This week, it was announced that NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock is developing a TV series based on the Fast franchise (though there seems to be some confusion about how many series are in development).
After the Cannes screening, many members of the audience could be heard audibly crying while giving Diesel and the cast a standing ovation. “I just want you all to know, the only reason why we’re making the finale of Fast for 2028 is because of each and every one of you that has given us your hearts and your loyalty,” Diesel told the crowd on Wednesday night. “You make us want to make you all proud.”