Despite much speculation and reports to the contrary, Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel will not appear in any of the Avatar sequels after all. The action star, who was expected to show up in one of the five upcoming follow-ups, is simply “a fan” according to producer Jon Landau, with comments and Instagram posts made by Diesel on the set of Avatar: The Way of Water merely taken “out of context.”
This confirmation (which will be either disappointing or bring you much happiness depending on how you feel about Vin Diesel) comes courtesy of Empire, and puts to bed any speculation that the Fast X star will join the Na’vi family. Or at least hasn’t yet…there are still three more sequels to come.
“Vin was a fan. He came in, visited the set one day to see what we were doing and people took that out of context.”
The idea of Diesel landing on Pandora first began back in 2019, with the actor sharing footage of himself alongside Avatar director James Cameron with the caption; “There is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with and learn from, and so, all things come, I guess, to those that wait.” So, it seems that Diesel was referring to the “learning” portion rather than the “work with” part.
The newfound sentiments of the Avatar franchise though would certainly align with Diesel’s love of family, a theme that dominates the Fast and Furious franchise. Aside from the car chases and explosions, of course. Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Landau continued, revealing that each sequel will follow the Sully family, as well as telling its own, semi-standalone story. “Hopefully, The Way Of Water came to its own conclusion, as I think each movie will,” Landau said. “But they do set things up because we get more and more invested in these characters. Where does Kiri go? What is Lo’ak up to? What decisions will Jake and Neytiri have to make? All of those things will continue to drive our story.”
RELATED: Avatar 3 Will Introduce Two New Tribes & Rove More Freely Around Pandora
Vin Diesel Will Return as Dominic Toretto in Fast X
Universal Pictures
Though it seems he will not join the world of Avatar, Vin Diesel will continue the journey of Dominic Toretto in the upcoming action sequel, Fast X. The tenth outing will find Dom and his family once again going up against Charlize Theron’s criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist, Cipher. Only this time, she has a partner in crime in the form of Dante, played by Aquaman star Jason Momoa.
Fast X will feature a large ensemble cast alongside Vin Diesel, including Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Brie Larson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Cardi B, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, and Charlize Theron.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, Fast X is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2023, by Universal Pictures, with another Fast and Furious sequel planned for release in February 2024.
