New upheaval around Fast and Furious 10 and its filming in an increasingly deleterious climate. We now know why director Justin Lin resigned from his post as director, and it would be directly linked to Vin Diesel.
A mysterious departure
The 10th installment in the franchise is being built against an increasingly toxic backdrop. On April 27, we learned that director Justin Lin, already at the helm of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift and episodes 4, 5, 6 and 9 of the saga, left the filming of the film, when it had just started. The reasons ? According to sources close to the filmmaker, the director has decided to withdraw from the franchise due to creative disputes.
With the support of Universal, I made the difficult decision to step down as director of FAST X, while remaining on the project as a producer. In ten years and five feature films, we have been able to film the best actors, the best stunts and the best car chases.
From a personal point of view, as a child of Asian immigrants, I am proud to have helped create the most diverse franchise in the history of cinema. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew, and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family.”
New twist
If the reasons given seem vague to say the least, new information has just fallen, and would directly concern Vin Diesel. Worse, he would be directly responsible for the departure of the director. According to an anonymous source, relayed by the New York Daily News, the iconic actor of the franchise would have become a problem on the last parts of the license. Moreover, he spoke out and said he was shocked that Lin was giving him a pay cut:
I have never seen anything like it. Lin gives up 10 or 20 million dollars. Diesel arrives late on set. He does not know his text. And he’s coming in out of shape,” the unnamed source said.
Vin Diesel, too much power over the franchise?
This isn’t the first time the 54-year-old actor has been embroiled in a licensing dispute. We know that the ego war he had with Dwayne Johnson led to a suffocating climate on the film set, like that of Fast and Furious 8 for example. After messages interposed on the networks, the former wrestler had packed his bags and left the franchise.
We know that Vin Diesel, as the star of the franchise, is very demanding, and holds the franchise with a master hand (he is also a producer), perhaps a little too much. He announced last week that Jordana Brewster, the interpreter of Mia Toretto, should not appear in the scenario of Fast X and that it was her daughter who insisted Justin Lin put her back in the story.
On the other hand, it is said behind the scenes that Vin Diesel himself could take control of Fast and Furious 10. A not so crazy option when you know that he is already very involved in the script and in the production.
This difference between Vin Diesel and Justin Lin does not seem to have affected the release of the film, still scheduled for May 24, 2023. Remember that the cast includes Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang and Daniela Melchior.
