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Diesel said in an interview that the “Fast and Furious” saga will conclude after two more films following the upcoming ninth installment, “F9,” which releases in theaters June 25.

LOS ANGELES — Vin Diesel made a mark as the street racer patriarch in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, but the storyline starring his longstanding character will soon come to an end.

Diesel said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that the “Fast and Furious” saga will conclude after two more films following the upcoming ninth installment, “F9,” which releases in theaters June 25. He said Universal Pictures wants to close out the saga in two parts.

The actor said the final two films could potentially release in 2023 then 2024.

“Every story deserves its own ending,” said Diesel during a press junket for “F9” when asked about the franchise’s future. Despite the end of the saga, he said the “Fast and Furious” cinematic universe will continue on.

When Diesel told his daughter about the franchise’s conclusion, the actor said she began shedding tears.

“I know people are going to feel like it doesn’t have to end, but I think all good things should,” he said. “There are reasons for a finale. I think this franchise has deserved it.”

Diesel has starred as Dominic Toretto since the franchise’s inaugural film “The Fast and Furious” in 2001. The movies have become big earners at the domestic and international box office, with the past two films each making more than $1 billion.

Along with Diesel, the action films have featured several others including Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, rapper Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Jason Statham and the late Paul Walker. In 2019, Johnson and Statham starred in the franchise’s first spin-off film “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” which claimed the No. 1 spot and earned $180.8 million in its worldwide debut.

Last year, Universal pushed back the release of “F9” due to the coronavirus outbreak. The new film not only brings back a fan favorite — Sung Kang’s Han — along with new additions including John Cena, but the story will also literally send a car into space. It’s expected to be one of the season’s biggest hits.

Director Justin Lin said the idea of finishing the saga came during a conversation with Diesel, who has played the leading role in eight “Fast and Furious” films.

“We got together and Vin says ’I think we should think about closing up the saga now,’” said Lin, who has directed five of the franchise’s films. He will direct the final two installments.

“Nine is kind of the first film of the final chapter,” the director said. “We’re kind of reconfiguring everything, so that the next two movies should wrap up this amazing journey for these characters.”

Diesel said the franchise has come a long way, but he finally sees a finish line.

“This franchise was born from the pavement, from the concrete,” he said. “The world just championed this underdog to a place where it has already surpassed all of these other franchises. But the franchise has a soul, and that soul has to rest.”

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A way-too-early preseason list to get us started.

There is always unpredictability when forecasting a season before it starts, especially six months out.

But with all that high school basketball fans, players and coaches went through over the past year, it’s a little refreshing to know we should have a better feel heading into the 2021-22 season than the one that just passed.

While we will watch the summer play out with transfers and what transpires in shootouts and player development, this look at what is still a way-too-early preseason list to get us started. Here is an early Elite Eight in the Chicago area, listed alphabetically.

Glenbard West

The Hilltoppers are loaded, starting with 6-9 Braden Huff, a high-major prospect and one of the top players in the state.

Versatile 6-5 senior Cade Pierce, another Division I prospect, returns, along with improving 6-7 Ryan Renfro and hard-nosed guard Paxton Warden.

When you add the arrival of 6-5 Hinsdale South transfer Bobby Durkin, who is among the elite shooters in the state, this is one of the top teams in the state.

Glenbrook South

The 1-2 punch of 6-7 Nick Martinelli and guard Cooper Noard did a ton of damage as juniors, combining to average 40 points between them. That talented tandem, along with Rodell Davis, Jr. and Brandon Ballarini, will keep the Titans ranked all year.

Kenwood

Mike Irvin has a stable of talented young players returning in his second year as head coach.

The exciting 6-7 JJ Taylor put up huge numbers as a sophomore last season and is among the top 25 prospects in the country. Taylor, 6-7 Davious Loury and scoring guard Darrin Ames form a dynamic trio.

The return of former Fenwick star guard Trey Pettigrew to Kenwood, via Eduprize in Arizona for one year, adds experienced talent to a loaded, young Broncos roster. Pettigrew is among Hoops Report’s top five prospects in Illinois in next year’s senior class.

New Trier

This may have been the best team no one talked about this past season, and the Trevians will be even better next year after going 13-2.

There is size, shooting and experience with the emerging 6-8 Jackson Munro, 6-3 guard Jake Fiegan, who will be one of the breakout players in the junior class, guard Josh Kirkpatrick and 6-10 Tyler Van Gorp.

Simeon

The Wolverines lose a lot, but we’ve all heard that a time or two over the past 20 years.

Coach Robert Smith’s program will be a state title contender again, this time in Class 3A, with the backcourt trio of Jaylen Drane, Avyion Morris and Jalen Griffin.

St. Ignatius

The expectations for the Wolfpack are sky high with so much experience returning from a team that went 13-5.

Seniors AJ Redd and Kolby Gilles and junior Richard Barron will all be double-figure scorers for a team that should be among the best in the Chicago area. Keep an eye on the development of 6-8 junior Jackson Kotecki.

St. Rita

The Mustangs are brimming with talent and potential.

The heralded Class of 2024, featuring 6-9 James Brown, 6-8 Morez Johnson and point guard Jaiden Reyna, all got their feet wet a year ago as freshmen. Promising transfer Bryce Coleman has grown to 6-6 after being a double-figure scorer at St. Joseph, while guard Kaiden Space also returns.

Young

Starting with AJ Casey, the state’s top-ranked prospect in next year’s senior class, the Dolphins will be primed and ready for a run at a Class 4A state championship.

Xavier Amos, a 6-7 forward, had a breakout junior year this past season, while point guard Dalen Davis is one of the state’s top talents in the Class of 2023.

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Tyrese Taylor is the 11th child aged 15 and younger to be gunned down in Chicago this year.

As his family packed to move to a safer place in the suburbs, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed in Lawndale on the West Side Thursday afternoon.

Tyrese Taylor was shot several times around 1:45 p.m. on a sidewalk in the 1100 block of South Karlov Avenue, not far from a U-Haul van the family had been loading, authorities and family said.

Officers were flagged down by a witness who directed them to a rear porch, where officers found Tyrese facedown on the porch stairs, police said. He had gunshot wounds to his head, body and legs.

Paramedics took the child to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Police taped off the U-Haul moving truck, next to Frazier International Magnet Elementary School, as they worked the scene late into the afternoon. Detectives were reviewing police and CPS surveillance video.

It’s unclear how many shooters there were. At least 10 gunshots were detected by police’s ShotSpotter system. Police recovered four .40-cal shell casings and two 9mm casings.

No one was in custody.

The boy’s mother was moving the family to the suburbs to let him live in a calmer environment, according to a neighbor who said he knew the teen well.

“He was a good kid. Sometimes he got mixed up with the wrong crowd, but he was a good kid,” said the man, who asked not to be named.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The man said he saw a white car drive up and someone fire shots at the boy.

The boy’s aunt, Dorothy Taylor, said the boy “loved to game” on his XBox. She said he was smart and went to Webster Elementary, a block north of where the shooting happened.

The boy had three sisters and five brothers, she said. “He was the baby.”

Ten other children aged 15 or younger have been shot dead so far this year, according to Sun-Times records. That’s more than the number killed in all of 2019.

The most recent fatal shooting of a child happened June 2 in Back of the Yards on the South Side. Savanah Quintero, 14, was shot in the head after three young gang members asked which gang she was affiliated with. After she said she wasn’t, the attackers chased her and opened fire.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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From a graystone to a starter loft apartment to a nicely renovated old worker’s cottage, you can find homes that reflect the city’s history by the homes of two teams that define it.Read More

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Chicago Bulls: Billy Donovan must hire Gilbert Arenas as an assistant coach by Anish Puligilla

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Chicago Bulls (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

The NBA is largely a league driven by point guard play, and the Chicago Bulls have long had an issue at that position.

Since the glory days of Derrick Rose, Chicago has struggled to find longevity at the position — or even competency.

This summer, we could see some huge movement with point guards across the NBAa for one reason or another. The Bulls would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t get in on the action.

There are quite a few guards the Bulls could go after via trade, starting with a division rival.

The Chicago Bulls could pull off a blockbuster trade involving Collin Sexton

This Bulls team is currently missing just one more piece in order to compete. If they were to add another good, or even great player, the Bulls could be in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

One player the Bulls could try and go after is Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton. A recent rumor suggested that Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman may listen to offers for the former first-round pick.

Bulls Get

G Collin Sexton

Cavaliers Get

G Coby White

2022 1st Round Pick

One of the reasons the Cavaliers could look to trade Sexton is because of his fit with point guard Darius Garland. The Cavaliers’ duo may not be able to co-exist on a long-term basis. One complaint is that Sexton is too ball dominant and struggles defensively.

Now, that’s not exactly an ideal fit for the Bulls either. In this deal, the Bulls would be exchanging a first rounder for a better version of Coby White, essentially. Would it be worth the trade? Maybe — it depends on whether or not Sexton can adjust a little bit and become a slightly better facilitator.

This wouldn’t completely fix the Bulls’ issue, but it may help. Sexton is, after all, a strong scorer and may play well off pick and rolls with Nikola Vucevic.

Next: Trade Number 2

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The new EP by Defcee and producer August Fanon, We Dressed the City With Our Names, ties Defcee’s history in Chicago’s rap and poetry scenes to the primordial hip-hop culture of New York graffiti artists depicted in the 1983 documentary Style Wars. The first track opens with a sample of a young graffiti writer explaining that his work is for him and other writers to see—forget the outsiders—and then Defcee raps about being animated by that same desire to leave a mark on hip-hop subculture.…Read More

The boy was killed as his family packed to move to a safer place in the suburbs.

Three people were killed and six others wounded in shootings across Chicago Thursday, including a 14-year-old boy shot dead in Lawndale on the West Side.

Tyrese Taylor was shot several times around 1:45 p.m. on a sidewalk in the 1100 block of South Karlov Avenue, not far from a U-Haul van his family had been loading up to move to a safer place in the suburbs, according to police and a relative.

He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead, Chicago police said.

The boy’s mother was moving the family to the suburbs to let him live in a calmer environment, according to a neighbor who said he knew the teen well.

No one was in custody, according to police.

About two hours later, a 20-year-old man was fatally shot while sitting in a parked car in West Englewood.

The man was parked in the 6500 block of South Claremont Avenue when another car pulled up and someone inside began shooting about 3:30 p.m., Chicago police said. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Earlier Thursday, a man was shot and killed while sitting in a parked car in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood, just minutes after a separate shooting wounded someone four blocks away.

The fatal shooting occurred around 7:40 a.m. when two gunmen got out of a black SUV and opened fire in the 4100 block of West Iowa Street, police said. A man, 30, was hit at least twice and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died, police said. His name hasn’t been released.

The gunmen got back in the SUV and drove west, police said. No one was arrested.

About 10 minutes earlier, about a half-mile away in East Garfield Park, another man was wounded in a shooting.

The 56-year-old man was riding in a car when he was shot in the 500 block of South Pulaski Road, police said. Two people in a black sedan pulled up, yelled something at the man and opened fire. The man, struck in his jaw, went to Loretto Hospital, police said. He was transferred to Stroger Hospital.

Police did not say if the shootings were related.

Other shootings:

— A woman was hurt in a shooting outside a restaurant Thursday night in West Chatham on the South Side. The 23-year-old was sitting inside a car in the restaurant parking lot about 9:50 p.m. in the 7500 block of South Lafayette Avenue when someone approached and began firing shots, police said. She suffered a graze wound to her head and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.

— A 29-year-old man was shot while sitting in a parked car in Parkway Gardens on the South Side. About 7 p.m., the man was parked on the street in the 6500 block of South King Drive when a dark-colored car pulled up and someone inside began firing shots at him, police said. He was struck in the thigh and taken to St. Bernard Hospital where his condition was stabilized.

— A 16-year-old boy was seriously wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side. A gunman came up to the teen in an alley and opened fire around 1:15 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Spaulding Avenue, police said. The boy was shot in the groin and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was listed in serious condition, police said.

— A man was shot Thursday morning in Schorsch Village on the Northwest Side. About 11:10 a.m. the 41-year-old went to see someone who lived in the 6600 block of West Melrose Street, police said. When he began pounding on the person’s window someone in the home took out a gun and shot him in the buttocks, police said. He was taken to Community First Hospital in good condition. The male was placed into custody, according to police.

— In the day’s first reported shooting, a 28-year-old man was shot walking in Lawndale on the West Side. The man was walking about 1:20 a.m. in the 2700 block of West Harrison Street when someone in a passing black SUV fired shots, striking him in the leg, police said. He went to Stroger Hospital where he was listed in good condition.

Nine people were shot, three fatally, Wednesday in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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