“Whatever we do, whenever we’re talking about the next chapter, I never feel like I have any restrictions, so I’m excited for what we build, and as we’re coming to this kind of final chapter of this saga,” Filmmaker Justin Lin said enthusiastically this time last year as his “Fast 9” film was about to enter theaters. And well, cut to a year later and things have changed. Something resembling disaster has struck for Universal and the crew of “Fast X,” the tenth installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, as Lin has suddenly excited from the film.
Worse, the film is underway and production has already been up and running for one week. Lin co-wrote the film with Dan Mazeau, and the parting seems amicable as the filmmaker is staying on as a producer, but leaving a film of this scale during production is a major calamity for any film that’s supposed to hit a release date for a huge corporation expecting a big box office boon in that quarter. Lin released a statement on Twitter.
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“With the support 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 support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family.”
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While these statements, released on the Fast and Furious social channels do seem harmonious, something really doesn’t add up here and it’ll be interesting to see the reports that surface in the following days. Lin isn’t just a guy for hire either, he’s been a ‘Fast’ architect who helped the franchise gain worldwide acclaim. Lin directed five “Fast & Furious” films in total and helped turn the franchise from a down-and-dirty street racing genre pic to a worldwide phenomenon.
Don’t be surprised if the reasons rhyme with Fin Smiesel as the franchise’s lead (Vin Diesel), is said to be extremely controlling (unless there’s something else behind the scenes we don’t know about). He’s already alienated Dwayne Johnson so much the “Black Adam” actor has vowed never to return to a ‘Fast’ film is Diesel is in it (he’s in the spin-off franchise film, “Hobbs & Shaw”).
A search for a new director is underway, and writers from THR say names like David Leitch and F. Gary Gray are being considered as replacements. However, Leitch is said to be making a “Fall Guy” movie with Ryan Gosling as his next project, so he’s likely a no-go.
Either way, production on ‘Fast X’ has started. Some second-unit photography will reportedly go forward, but soon, the production will have to hit pause as they search for a new director and getting a filmmaker up to speed on high-velocity, very technical action sequences could take time to get up and running no matter how good and experienced they are.
“Fast X” is currently scheduled for May 19, 2023. Deadline says insiders add that they do not expect to move from that date at this time, but if they don’t move super fast, well, don’t be surprised if this date is delayed.