Vin Diesel cries while talking about Paul Walker at the Fast & Furious screening in Cannes

In a city that lacks star power, Cannes fast & angry The 25th anniversary show at the Palace was a hot ticket, with Vin Diesel on hand to pay a tear-filled tribute to the late Paul Walker.

It was approaching midnight, but the Croisette was crowded with the area around the Grand Lumiere Theater packed with spectators. The show itself was not the usual black-tie affair; Instead, Universal asked guests to adhere to a “casual” dress code. For his part, Diesel took to the carpet wearing a dazzling suit jacket emblazoned with “Fast Forever” rhinestones. (Universal is scheduled to release the next film, Fast foreveron March 17, 2028.)

Franchise stars Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez were in attendance, along with producer Neal H. Moretz and Universal president Donna Langley. Meadow Walker, daughter of the late fast The actor, was also present at the event.

“I’ve never seen a midnight screening like this in my entire life. It’s not like this movie hasn’t been on for a minute,” Diesel laughed inside the theater before the screening. The actor talked about his personal history with the festival, where he screened his short film more than three decades ago. Diesel was content to keep talking, with festival president Thierry Fermo joked: “Fuck the movie. I’m only here once in my whole life.”

Diesel then spent some time talking about Walker, who died in 2013 at the age of 40. “This is a film in which brotherhood is introduced to our millennium, by myself and my brother Pablo,” Diesel said. “The person who wouldn’t let me come here alone to represent that brotherhood is Meadow Walker.”

fast & angry It is the first installment of the franchise that now travels the world and has grossed more than $7 billion. The original film introduced audiences to Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, a Los Angeles street racer behind a series of robberies, and Walker O’Conner, an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate Toretto’s crew. Hollywood Reporter2001 revision of the original fast reads the movieThe fast and the furious “It has the grit of a B-movie, with hot young actors, even hotter cars, and the intelligence needed to realize that a teen movie will only work if you sympathize with its characters.”

It was announced this week that NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock is developing a TV series based on… fast franchise (although there seems to be some confusion about how many series are in development).

After the screening at Cannes, several audience members could be heard crying loudly as they gave Diesel and the cast a standing ovation. “I want you all to know the only reason we made it to the end fast “2028 is because of each and every one of you who have given us your hearts and loyalty. You make us want to make you all proud,” Diesel told the crowd Wednesday night.