UNIVERSAL’S “Fast and Furious 10” has a release date. The penultimate film in the long-running cars-to-spies franchise will hit theaters April 7, 2023, the Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Justin Lin will direct the 10th and 11th films in the “Fast” franchise, which will be the conclusion of the core movies. Lin has directed five “Fast” films beginning with 2006’s “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” Chris Morgan is returning to pen the script. Vin Diesel and franchise regulars such as Sung Kang, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Nathalie Emmanuel and Michelle Rodriguez are all expected to return. The mid-credits scene from “F9” suggested Jason Statham’s character will play some part too. The “Fast” franchise, which began in 2001, has made US$6.3 billion globally, with that figure including the 2019 spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.” The most recent installment of the core franchise, 2021’s Lin-directed “F9,” grossed US$681 million worldwide despite the COVID-19 pandemic casting a long shadow on the theatrical business. (SD-Agencies) | 