Fast X: Justin Lin steps down as director days after filming begins due to ‘creative differences’

Justin Lin has decided to leave Fast X, the 10th installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. He will remain on board as a producer.

The filmmaker, who has directed five films in the long-running Fast & Furious action series, left the new movie just days after production began.

According to Deadline, the split is amicable but stems from creative differences between the director and the Universal Pictures studio.

Lin shared the news of her departure from the film in a statement posted on the franchise’s official Twitter account.

“With the support of Universal, I made the difficult decision to step back as the director of Fast X, while remaining with the project as a producer. In 10 years and five films, we were able to shoot the best actors, best stunts and best car chases,” said the filmmaker.

“On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I’m proud to have helped build the most diverse franchise in film history. I will always be grateful to the incredible cast, the team and the studio for their support and for welcoming me into the Fast family,” he added.

Lin, who co-wrote Fast X with Dan Mazeau, was set to direct the 10th and 11th films in the franchise – a two-part finale – with the 11th film being Fast’s final mainline installment.

He previously directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and F9 (2021).

Directed by Vin Diesel, the 10th episode will also feature Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Sung Kang. Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson and Jason Momoa of Aquaman fame are the new entrants to the franchise.

Fast X has a release date of May 19, 2023, but it will be interesting to see if it sticks to that given Lin’s release.

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