Fast X, a.k.a. Fast & Furious 10, only just started filming last week, but already the production has hit a major snag. It was announced yesterday that Justin Lin will no longer be directing the upcoming movie, which was supposed to be his sixth Fast & Furious movie. The search is underway to find a new Fast X director, but apparently Lin dropping the directorial reins could end up costing Universal Pictures a lot of money.
Following Justin Lin’s exit from Fast X (reportedly due to “creative differences,” although the split has also been described as “amicable”), the movie’s second unit team is continuing production in the United Kingdom, but the main unit is on pause until a new director comes aboard. According to sources who spoke with Variety, Universal Pictures having to replace the Fast X director in the midst of principal photography could end up costing the studio “upwards of $600,000 to $1 million a day.” Exactly how much will depend on if production on any major set pieces was already underway. Because Lin left Fast X so early into the shoot, that may have resulted in this not being as pricey as it could have been had he left later on down the road… pun slightly intended.
Another issue that might pop up as a result of Justin Lin leaving Fast X (which occurred just a few days after he shot a video with Vin Diesel about how this movie is “the beginning of an epic end”) is the rearranging of certain schedules. Specifically, Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa and Brie Larson are all high-profile actors attached to other franchises and projects, so any major delays to the Fast X shoot would require shelling out money to ensure they can stick around. That said, its been noted that because of the formality of Lin’s exit, i.e. the news being announced on the Fast & Furious social media channels, this likely means that Universal was given enough advanced notice, and thus had extra time to conduct its director search.
Who will be the person who takes over for Justin Lin on Fast X? That’s hard to say, although it’s doubtful it’ll be someone who’s already worked on the franchise. Furious 7’s James Wan, The Fate of the Furious’ F. Gary Gray and Hobbs & Shaw’s David Leitch are all busy on other movies, and The Fast and the Furious’ Rob Cohen not only hasn’t directed since 2018, he’s been accused of sexual assault by multiple individuals in recent years (2 Fast 2 Furious’ John Singleton died in 2019). So Universal Pictures will almost certainly have to bring in someone new to steer this Fast & Furious ship, and it’ll need to happen fast (and furiously) so that the extra costs don’t pile up too high.
As things currently stand, Fast X isn’t expected to move from its current May 19, 2023 release date, but if that changes or the production is hit with any other major setbacks, we’ll let you know. Until then, you’re welcome to stream F9 with an HBO Max subscription to ensure you’re ready for the next round of Universal’s car-centric mayhem.
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