When news broke that Justin Lin had abruptly left the Fast X production, many of us “joked” that it probably had something to do with Vin Diesel. The actor has an outsized amount of power and control over the franchise, which has led to him butting heads with co-stars in the past. Well, it seems those issues have bubbled over again, only this time with Lin.
According to THR’s sources, Lin exited Fast X due to creative clashes with Universal and Diesel, all while the production’s budget ballooned to $300M. Lin, who had been working on the screenplay, was upset that his script wasn’t locked in time for the start of shooting. Instead, the studio brought in another writer to tighten it up.
It was a meeting with Diesel on April 23rd when they had a “major disagreement” over Diesel’s script notes that was Lin’s final straw. Lin reportedly said on the way out, “This movie is not worth my mental health.” On April 25th he was gone.
Universal responded to THR’s report with this simple statement: “Any creative differences leading to Justin Lin’s exit were with the studio, not with fellow producers, cast, or crew.”
I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll hear of this. The last time there was this kind of blow-up was during Fate of the Furious, and that turned out to be among the worst films in the franchise. Incoming director Louis Leterrier might have a tough job on his hands.
