The director of Fast X has left the film only days after the production of the latest installment in the franchise had started filming. Justin Lin’s decision to walk away from the project comes as a surprise, but we are led to believe that it is due to some creative differences. It was only last week that we broke you the news that the new Fast & Furious film had begun production, and Vin Diesel himself also revealed the logo and the new name of the film, so this does come as a little bit of a shock.
Justin Lin has directed five movies in the franchise, starting with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, in which he debuted the fan-favorite character Han (played by Sung Kang). Lin would then take a break from the series before returning to direct Fast Five, introducing Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs in the process. Lin then took another hiatus before coming back once again (he just couldn’t stay away it seemed) to direct F9.
This is quite the stumbling block for the latest film in this successful blockbuster franchise because it was expected that Lin would guide the series towards the finish line, as Fast & Furious 10 and Fast & Furious 11 were to be the final two chapters of this epic saga. There were also some promising signs that these final two films would take the franchise back to previous heights, with the news that many of the older stars like Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris had been confirmed to carry on their roles.
So, due to this news, the decision to temporarily pause the production process after the second unit work has ended has had to be made, so the studio can find a replacement for Lin. However, because we do have a little plot twist for you, Lin is reportedly staying on as a producer of Fast X and he shared this statement on Twitter:
“I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of Fast X while remaining on the project as a producer. Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew, and studio for their support.”
We will just have to see who they bring in as the new director, and who knows, Lin might even have a say in that decision, which wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
