‘Fast and Furious’ director Justin Lin announced that he will be stepping down from filming ‘Fast X’ and its sequel.
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Why the ‘Fast’ franchise director decided to leave the final two films
Lin made the announcement on his Instagram page early Tuesday where he addressed his departure as director from ‘Fast X’ and its sequel. He writes: “With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of ‘Fast X,’ while remaining with the project as a producer. Over 10 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,” he continued.
Lin directed five of the previous films in the sequel and stated he would stop filming the series after the sixth film as reported by Insider. He was originally scheduled to film “F9” but Vin Diesel asked him to film the final three films of the “Fast” franchise.
Last week, Vin Diesel posted a video of himself and Lin on the set of the film on his Instagram page.
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“It wasn’t until the idea of further exploring this theme of family, but through blood that excited me because I knew that if we were going to do that, there was a really great chance that we were going to be able to kind of go back and explore and solidify some of the origins of this mythology.
Once I kind of agreed, Vin kind of pulled me aside and he said, ‘You’re not leaving. We’re finishing this thing up.”
Fans of the franchise react to the news of Lin’s departure as director
Fans also reacted to Lin’s departure as director for the final two films.
Literally has been a finished franchise since the end credits of Tokyo drift
— Stu (@MacSD93) April 26, 2022
Will at least Justin Lin wrote Fast X so at least his creativity is still in the movie unless Vin Diesel changed his script completely 😐
— T’Challa Stan (@KhameekJ03) April 27, 2022
Justin Lin is no longer directing FastX. This is actually a real disappointment for me and for fans everywhere
I know it sounds like I’m joking but this is very serious for all of us https://t.co/trZ1gWCCzT
— A•Reyes (@darkade) April 27, 2022
Maybe unpopular opinion, but Justin Lin is what makes the movies fun, he knows how to balance the ridiculous action with some heart and drama.
— 2NE1 4EVER (@kdc) April 27, 2022
I love the Fast & Furious movies. But Justin Lin leaving #FastX?!
They went into space. What possible creative differences would even matter?
— brian (@briandaly473) April 27, 2022
The film is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2023