F9.
Ahead of Fast X's May 2023 release date, Diesel officially announced earlier this week that the movie has begun filming. This came with a flurry of updates about the highly anticipated sequel, including confirmation of the cast . Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Charlize Theron are all returning to star opposite Diesel, while Brie Larson, Jason Momoa, and Daniela Melchior are the biggest new additions to the Fast & Furious family. There have even been updates shared by the cast , such as Theron sharing an image of her and Momoa's villains united.
Now, Fast & Furious 10 has hit a major setback as Deadline reports that Lin has departed the production just a few days after filming began. Creative differences are said to be the reason behind Fast & Furious 10 losing its director. The plan is for the movie to continue filming second unit work for a bit before production is temporarily paused as Universal finds Lin's replacement. The report notes that the studio is already talking to a few potential candidates. Lin will remain aboard Fast X as a producer and shared the following statement on Twitter:
With the of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of FAST X, while remaining with 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. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their , and for welcoming me into the FAST family.
Lin's decision to walk away from Fast X and Fast & Furious 11 comes after he directed five movies in the franchise. He started with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which brought Vin Diesel back to the franchise for a cameo and introduced Fast Five, which introduced Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs. He then left Fast & Furious to make Star Trek Beyond before returning for F9. It is not known what creative decisions Lin disagreed with that led to this exit.
It will be fascinating to see who Universal hires to direct Fast & Furious 10 in Lin's absence. James Wan is too busy to return, but approached for Hobbs & Shaw as well. Diesel could even push for prior collaborators like Dave Wilson (Bloodshot) or D.J. Caruso (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) to take over. In any case, Fast X should have a new director before too long, but losing Justin Lin is a big blow.
Source: Deadline, The Fast Saga/Twitter
