‘Fast X’ Director Left Action Sequel Because of Vin Diesel & a Game-Changing Twist, New Book Reveals

Barry Hertz’s new book, “Welcome to the Family,” documents the history of Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise, diving deeper into Fast X’s production woes and revealing alternate plans for the sequel, such as Jason Momoa’s villain, Dante, assembling his own Legion of Doom made up of Dom’s past enemies. But the most interesting thing to come out of the excerpt (via IndieWire), is why Justin Lin left the project so suddenly, leaving it in limbo.

According to “several high-level sources in the production,” Lin has become increasingly disillusioned due to difficulties with the studio, lead actor Vin Diesel, and Diesel’s sister and producer, Samantha Vincent. Things came to a head when Diesel pushed back against a twist ending that Lin was planning, in which it would be revealed that Little Brian, Diesel’s character, Dominic Toretto’s son, was really the child of Momoa’s Dante.

“Some members of the film’s team felt that the late-game turn was the perfect, if deeply dark, way for Dom to reckon with the concept he held most dear: family. The proud patriarch of the “Fast” clan would have to put his life on the line for a child who wasn’t biologically his own — who was in fact the offspring of his most feared nemesis. Others, including Diesel, felt differently.”

Justin Lin Wanted to Make ‘Fast X’ “A Little Too Marvel”

Universal Pictures

The twist would have surely been controversial among fans, but it certainly would have achieved what Lin wanted in pushing Dom’s famous love for family to its limits. Clearly, Diesel wasn’t happy with Dom raising his enemy’s son, and the constant pushback against his plans became too much for Lin.

But that’s not all. Lin was also being pestered by Universal over his plans for the ending, which the director wanted to culminate in “an especially over-the-top sequence that involved Dante using a giant excavator-like machine to wreak havoc — a VFX-heavy climax that would drive up the cost of a project whose production budget was already well north of $300 million and climbing.” As Alexander Witt, a veteran second-unit director and cinematographer, explained…

“It was really the ending that needed work — it’s difficult to describe, but this machine eats things…the bad guy goes down, gets into this machine, comes out and starts eating cars, and it’s like a ‘Transformers’ movie. It was totally out of context with the movie, I thought. I thought it was a little too Marvel, and the problem was it would have been all CG. Although we ended up with all CG in the end. From the moment that Dom jumps over the dam [in the final film], it’s all CG.”

While Fast X did eventually make its way onto the big screen, grossing around $704 million worldwide alongside divisive reviews in the process, the franchise’s finale, Fast and Furious 11, has now been halted indefinitely due to further issues behind-the-scenes.

Release Date

May 19, 2023

Runtime

142 minutes

Director

Louis Leterrier

Producers

Jeff Kirschenbaum, Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Samantha Vincent

Sequel(s)

Fast and Furious 11, Fast & Furious 12