I suspect that this trailer for Fast and Furious -- that's The Fast and the Furious, Part IV: Articles Result in Wind Resistance, or 2 Fast 2 Furious x 2 -- just made a wide number of gearheads moist over the triumphant return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker as they drive fast and glare hard in a combined effort to save their careers.

Diesel and Walker find themselves reunited with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster of the hollow but entertaining original, and the whole photogenic ensemble find themselves directed by Justin Lin, a.k.a. the guy they brought in to direct the hollow but tiresome three-quel that none of these actors were themselves a part of (okay, so Diesel made the briefest cameo, yippee for that). The stunts, though, appear to be more along the practical lines of the first two films, so perhaps a happy medium can be struck between their relative entertainment value and the numbing antics of Tokyo Drift.

Fast and Furious leaves skid marks in theaters next June.

Were you out there feeling like there were still just too many unanswered questions in The Fast and the Furious franchise? Okay, probably not, because that's like asking for CliffsNotes for an episode of The Hills. But, I guess somebody out there felt there was some explaining to do, because Coming Soon reports that Vin Diesel (who plays muscle car driver extraordinaire, Dominic Torretto) will be directing a 20-minute prequel to the upcoming Fast and Furious.

There aren't many details on the short, but starring alongside Diesel will be Michelle Rodriguez, who will reprise her role as Letty, and Sung Kang will also be returning as Han. Diesel did not provide any details about the story for the short, but for those of you who are well versed in the world of Fast and Furious, you can probably guess that it will act as a tie-in to bring together the events of the second and third films.

I'll admit I was surprised to discover that Diesel has already directed before. Mainly they were other short films, but back in 1997, he wrote, directed, and starred in Strays, a drama about hustlers, and of course, there are still those long-standing rumors about Diesel directing his own Hannibal (not the cannibal) feature. Nobody knows for sure where the Fast and Furious prequel will appear first, but the obvious choice would be online. There is also a chance that to drum up a little business Universal will premiere it on TV, or as an extra on the DVD. One thing is for sure, unless Justin Lin has the running time of Fast and Furious down to 70 minutes, I doubt we'll be seeing it in theaters.

Fast and Furious is scheduled to open on June 5th, 2009.

For fans of The Fast and the Furious franchise, there were still a few pretty big questions hanging over the movie. Mainly, just what exactly was this movie going to be about ... other than fast cars that look real cool when they go real fast? Well, wonder no longer because Universal has announced the official title and the final plot synopsis for the latest installment of the racing franchise. Now titled Fast and Furious (yo, they left out the 'the!'), the story centers on reuniting Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel) and agent Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) along with vets from the first film (Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez).

According to Universal's description, "When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him."

So far there have been a few on-set photos, and don't forget there was an early script review from Latino Review back in November. It would seem that it might have been legit since it got some of the details right (including some spoilerific details regarding the fate of Rodrgiuez's character, Letty). Director Justin Lin is already talking about making one more film before retiring the series, but we'll have to wait to see how high gas prices climb first. Fast and Furious will arrive in theaters on June 5, 2009.

She might have a degree from Yale, a grandfather who used to be president of the university, and bilingual talents, but Jordana Brewster is known for her looks, her mid-range spots on Maxim Hot 100 lists, and flicks like The Faculty, The Fast and the Furious, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. If you were expecting her to take on something a little more meaty, perhaps something along the route of Ellen Page, keep waiting. Moviehole has posted that the current rumor mill has her in talks for Fast and the Furious 4, which Erik brought word of here. Warning: what follows below is information about the plot, if Moviehole sources are right. If you'd like to just think of a fast and furious future with cars and intrigue, without plot points, jump to the next story. If you want more info, keep reading.

So, since Brian let Dominic go at the beginning of the first film, he's been repenting in a monastery and hiding from his bosses. Now that this cushion of fib is out of the way, here's what Moviehole says about the plot: Mia (Brewster) is back for less-than-happy reasons. Michelle Rodriguez's character is gone, having crashed and burned (an eerie link to the possibilities of her driving in real life), and Mia has to deliver Letty's car to her brother, Dominic. Meanwhile, Brian has served time for letting D go, but is getting an out -- if he stops Braga, a crime boss and drug importer, he's free. If you want even more particulars, check out the source. So yeah, the flick should do well -- it's got all the basics for crime, action, sexiness, and a whole new collection of MTV awards.

We've heard rumors for quite some time now, but it seems there is truth behind them: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have officially bottomed out. Well, their careers cars have, that is. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both actors are in negotiations to reunite on the big screen for a fourth installment in the popular Fast and the Furious franchise. But wait, it gets better -- check out HR's description of the premise: "The story line is being kept under wraps, but fast cars are involved." Gee, ya think? Justin Lin, who directed Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift will once again step behind the camera for part four, while Chris Morgan returns to write the script. Neil Moritz and Diesel will produce.

All we know at this time is that shooting will take place this spring in Los Angeles, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Folks should remember how Diesel showed up for a cameo at the end of Tokyo Drift, and since fans went apesh*t over his appearance, the actor was convinced he had at least one more race in him. Walker, on the other hand, showed up in 2 Fast 2 Furious, but did not return for part three. And since I barely even remember the first film, I'm not exactly sure where each character is at (story-wise) heading into this fourth flick. But I trust fans of the series will be pretty stoked to hear this news. Currently, there's no word on a release date or further additions to the cast.

After the third film in the franchise, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, took in $158 million worldwide, Universal thought it might be best to hold onto screenwriter Chris Morgan for at least a little while. Not only have they tapped him to pen a fourth installment in the lucrative underground racing series, but the studio has also picked up an untitled adventure pitch from the scribe too -- making it his fifth straight project for Universal. Other pics Morgan has worked on for Uni include a rewrite on the Angelina Jolie pic Wanted (currently in pre-production) and an adaptation of the graphic novel The Psycho. (Next up, Chris plans on officially changing his name from Chris Morgan to Universal's Biotch.)

No word yet on where the fourth Fast and the Furious will be set, but chances are they will keep things overseas in order to fully take advantage of the worldwide audience. Perhaps the new flick will even take place in several different cities -- it could be called Fast and the Furious: Where in the World Did I Park My Damn Car? I like that. As far as this untitled adventure pic goes, no one is saying a thing; all we know is that the script was purchased for $700,000 against $1.35 million, and that Stuber/Parent Prods. are producing. Seeing as Morgan likes his characters to do a lot of driving (he also penned Cellular, which had its fare fair share of automobile-related excitement), I'd imagine this new script includes at least one dazzling car chase sequence. Which reminds me ... my lease is up; I need to look for a new ride.

To comment on anything within The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift other than the cars, the chicks, and the chase scenes would be the epitome of all things pointless. These movies are not made to tell a story, to impart a lesson, or to illuminate the masses to something culturally fascinating. They don't bother with things like quality screenplays, adequate acting performances, or sincere emotion ... because those clunky components only manage to get in the way of ... the ... cars!

So if you're a diehard gearhead who loves all things auto-related, then there are certainly a few isolated sections of Tokyo Drift that should tickle your eyeballs, if not exactly engage your brain. That admission aside, this flick's as dumb as a box of rocks and twice as pointless.