Justin Lin, the director of multiple films in the Fast and Furious franchise, has decided to withdraw from his role as the director of Fast X. He will, however, continue as a producer of the upcoming film.
“With the support of Universal (Pictures), I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of Fast X, while remaining with the project as a producer. Over ten 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,” read Lin’s statement.
Lin’s exit comes about a week after actor Vin Diesel announced the title of the tenth instalment in the popular franchise, and shared that filming had begun. Diesel plays the character of Dominic Toretto in the film series.
It was earlier announced, in 2020, that Lin would helm the last two films in the action-packed franchise.
Lin has directed five films in the franchise – The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast and Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast and Furious 6 (2013), and F9: The Fast Saga (2021).
F9 hit screens amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It became the first Hollywood film to collect over $500 million at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak, and ended its run with collections of $726 million, worldwide.
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Aside from Diesel, the film also featured Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, and Sung Kang as principal cast members, alongside Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron. They are all expected to return for the final films.
In addition to the returning cast members, Jason Momoa and Brie Larson have also joined the Fast X. While their characters are still under wraps, it was reported earlier that Momoa is to play one of the antagonists in the upcoming film.
The franchise began with the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious. There are ten films in the franchise, so far, including the spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw, released in 2019. Actors Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson have also made appearances in the earlier films.