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By: John M Jerva
In an interesting turn of events, franchise director Justin Lin took to social media to announce that he has officially stepped away from directing Fast X. Lin will still stay on as a producer but the race is on to find a worthy replacement as production is starting to get underway. Take a look at Lin’s official statement below.
Nothing was mentioned as to why Lin decided to not direct the tenth entry although the current word is that it’s due to creative differences. It’s said that the split between Lin and Universal was amicable and while they look for a new director, the production will continue to shoot second-unit footage. The production will most likely have to pause as they search.
There has been a call by some fans for the franchise to return to its simpler roots as seen in the original. A lot of people have not liked how ridiculous the franchise has gotten in latter films.
Lin has helmed multiple entries in the blockbuster franchise starting with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He has since gone on to direct Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and F9.
Vin Diesel is returning along with Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang. Hopefully, Jason Statham, who was teased in the stinger scene of F9 will make an appearance as well. Charlize Theron is also back along with newcomer Jason Momoa who is officially playing the heavy in the new movie.
As of now, Fast X is set to release in theaters on May 19th, 2023 but expect that date to change.
Lin is what made all the FAST movies successful. For him to step away cannot be easy. I think the FAST is going to miss Lin’s personal touch. Let’s all hope that FAST doesn’t bomb because of that.