Mere days into production on the Fast franchise’s tenth entry, Justin Lin has announced his departure from the director’s chair. “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,” Lin said in a statement posted to social media late Tuesday afternoon. “Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases.” The filmmaker, who co-wrote Fast X with Dan Mazeau, did not give a reason for his exit, though Deadline reported via unnamed sources that he was stepping away from the project over creative differences. Fast X began production on April 20, with sole concentration so far on second-unit filming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet said that the second unit would “remain the focus as an immediate director search is undertaken.” Lin, who helmed Fast’s third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth installments, to the tune of a global box office gross of more than $1.9 billion, had been set to direct both the forthcoming tenth and eleventh films. Fast X is slated for a May 2023 release.
