Director Justin Lin Exits Fast X Mid-Production

Production was already underway for the 10th Fast movie (which is still disappointingly not called Fast10 Your Seatbelts), but it looks like Fast X has just undergone one major setback.

In an official announcement, franchise veteran director Justin Lin has announced that he will be exiting the film mid production. Here’s the post:

#FASTX pic.twitter.com/T0w9LuYS0F

— The Fast Saga (@TheFastSaga) April 26, 2022

Despite leaving the helm of the movie, Lin is still attached to the project as a producer. While it looks like the exit was amicable between the director and the studio, Deadline reports that some insiders are saying that Lin’s stepping down was due to creative differences.

Lin may not have started the Fast and Furious franchise, but he had been responsible for five out of the current nine entries, directing The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast and Furious 6, and F9. We don’t know exactly what creative differences Lin would have had, but it was probably serious, seeing as he has such a history with the IP.

For now, Universal has put production of the film on hold while they look for someone else to take on Lin’s spot. While it’s possible they could be looking at some former directors to come back to the franchise (like James Wan), some fans online are guessing that Vin Diesel could probably take on the director role.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, because if this takes longer, the movie may not be able to make its original release date.

For now, Fast X is still set to come out on May 19, 2023.