Universal announced on Tuesday that it is moving the release date of “Fast & Furious 10” from April 7, 2023 to May 19, 2023, filling in a placeholder slot set by the studio for an event film.
The move strengthens what is shaping up to be a loaded early summer slate for 2023, as Disney will be releasing Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” on May 5 and a remake of “The Little Mermaid” on Memorial Day weekend.
Universal has also set release slots for four more films in summer 2023, including an animated film from Illumination, though those films have yet to be announced.
“Fast & Furious 10” is set to be the the first part of a two-part finale to the long-running automotive action series that began in 2001 with Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto. What began as a series about underground street racing has grown into a globe-trotting spectacle that has seen stars like Ludacris, Jason Statham, and Dwayne Johnson join the cast as it has grown to over $6.6 billion in lifetime box office grosses.
This year’s installment, “F9,” has stood as one of the most successful Hollywood blockbusters in a market challenged by COVID-19, grossing $173 million domestically and $721 million worldwide, only slightly below the $760 million grossed by the franchise’s 2019 spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.” The film was initially set for release on Memorial Day 2020 but was moved to June 2021 in the wake of the pandemic.
“F9” director Justin Lin will return to direct the film with Diesel and the film’s main cast, including Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and Ludacris.