Fast & Furious fans were more than a little surprised when it was announced last week that Justin Lin would be stepping down as the director of Fast X just days into shooting. It was reported that Lin’s choice to exit the franchise came down to creative differences but that the parting was amicable between both the studio and himself. THR has released a revealing new report that sheds a little light on why Lin left. Simply put, he’d had enough of the constantly changing script and dealing with Vin Diesel. Uh oh.
In addition to directing Fast X, Justin Lin also had a hand in writing the script. Lin believed that he had locked the script before shooting, but both Universal Studios and Vin Diesel still had notes. Lin was already under a lot of pressure as a key location had to be cut (due to the war in Ukraine), one of the villains hadn’t been cast yet, the budget was ballooning to near $300 million, and the studio was sending a writer to polish the dialogue. Sources told THR that Justin Lin had a “major disagreement” with Vin Diesel on April 23rd that ended with a slammed door and Lin reportedly saying, “This movie is not worth my mental health.” A Universal spokesperson told THR that “Any creative differences leading to Justin Lin’s exit were with the studio, not with fellow producers, cast or crew.” The studio and Justin Lin reached an agreement which enabled him to leave the production but still stay on board as a producer.
THR’s report states what has been rumoured for some time, that Vin Diesel has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Fast & Furious. Insiders say that writers on the franchise would pen action sequences, only for Diesel to say “yes” or “no” to them. It was up to the directors to figure out how to make them fit, assuming Diesel didn’t change his mind. “The whole process is a mosaic that never stops moving,” said one insider. A report from the Daily News even claimed that “Diesel shows up late to the set. He doesn’t know his lines. And he shows up out of shape.”
With Universal spending a million dollars a day to keep crew and locations on standby, the studio and Vin Diesel have been scrambling to find a new director for Fast X. It was reported earlier today that Louis Leterrier (The Transporter) was nearing a deal to sign on, but it won’t be an easy task. “You need someone who can play ball with the studio, Vin, and the actors,” an agency partner noted. “You can maybe count on two hands filmmakers that can take on this challenge. Most filmmakers will file this under ‘life’s too short.’ If you can land this 747 and prevent a crash, you’d be a hero.” Fast X is still set for a May 19, 2023 release.