The Real Reason Director Justin Lin Left Fast X

Some sagas just don't know when to end. It's no secret that the "Fast & Furious" movies have remained in a state of flux ever since the release of "Fast X" in 2023, the blockbuster pitched as a two-part culmination to the family-driven property. The only problem, of course, is that there have been no shortage of problems. First came the shocker that longtime "Fast & Furious" director Justin Lin had parted ways with the production just as things were shifting into gear. Then came the behind-the-scenes rumors surrounding star Vin Diesel and newcomer Jason Momoa clashing egos. Now, well over two and a half years later, there are still no signs of a grand finale wrapping up the dam-busting cliffhanger and supposed death of all our heroes in "Fast X." In any other franchise, this would be a five-alarm fire unlike any other we've ever seen. For "Fast & Furious," we call this "Tuesday."

Apparently, we've only scratched the surface of this ongoing drama. While there remains very little movement on "Fast 11," we're finally receiving word on what really went down during the earliest stages of production on "Fast X." IndieWire has published an excerpt from an upcoming tell-all book from film writer, editor, and author Barry Hertz titled "Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind 'Fast & Furious,' the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World." Most fans have wondered exactly what caused Lin to walk away from his baby, necessitating his last-minute replacement with "The Incredible Hulk" and "Transporter" filmmaker Louis Leterrier.

As it turns out, it had to do with an ever-changing script, an unwieldy cast of characters (including Diesel's Dominic Toretto and Momoa's Dante Reyes), and a rapidly-rising budget all conspiring to halt this project before it even began to get off the ground.

If you thought making a Marvel movie was stressful these days, that's nothing compared to the incredulous amounts of indecision and moving parts that afflicted "Fast X." That's the key takeaway from "Welcome to the Family," itself described as an "unauthorized" retelling of what went so wrong offscreen on the latest (and, so far, last) "Fast" sequel.

Reportedly, it all began with the pandemic. As the rest of the world went into lockdown awaiting the release of "F9: The Fast Saga," Justin Lin was hard at work sketching out "Fast X" and beyond via Zoom meetings. But while certain elements remained locked in place, such as that cliffhanger ending, nobody could agree on how the rest of the script should unfold. The excerpt details various ideas that came and went: a subplot involving Dwayne Johnson's Hobbs (who only appears in the final film's mid-credits scene), a "battle royale" pitting Hobbs and Jason Statham's Shaw against Dominic Toretto and his brother Jakob (John Cena), and so on. But those pale in comparison to an abandoned storyline that sounds like it could've been ripped from the pages of DC Comics. As writer Barry Hertz explains in his book:

"And most outrageously, at one point Dante assembles what an early script refers to as 'our Legion of Doom,' in which Cole Hauser's Carter Verone ('2 Fast'), Laz Alonso's Fenix ('Fast 4'), Joe Taslim's Jah ('Fast 6'), Ronda Rousey's Kara ('Furious 7'), and various other Toretto enemies return to seek collective revenge: 'That's the best thing about you, Dom,' Dante says in the abandoned draft. 'Only thing you got more of than family — is enemies.' In and out, up and down — opinions on and changes to the script came from every direction."

By all accounts, even all this uncertainty surrounding the exact story of "Fast X" wasn't the straw that broke the back for Justin Lin. Filming on the sequel began in April of 2022 with Lin overseeing multiple fight sequences involving Charlize Theron's villainous Cipher. Production continued without any obvious issues for the rest of that week ... until something happened the following weekend. By Tuesday, Lin had released an official statement describing his parting of ways in the vaguest of terms. As cinematographer Stephen F. Windon explained:

"We shot on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and it was all Charlize and Jason [Momoa]. I remember that Friday night, I saw Justin and he was the happiest I'd ever seen. He was delighted with the way it was going — he loved the chemistry between Charlize and Jason. And then, whatever happened, it happened over that weekend. And I never saw him after that."

So, what gives? Author Barry Hertz reveals that Lin's exit had to do with "creative tensions" with main star Vin Diesel (along with the actor's sister and producer Samantha Vincent), disagreements over a planned twist that would've revealed Dom's young son Brian was actually the biological child of Jason Momoa's Dante (which Diesel reportedly pushed back against), and an "extremely hands on" Universal Pictures feeling unenthused about the original visual effects-heavy final sequence — one that involved a giant machine chewing up and spitting out cars like something out of "Transformers." A "heated closed-door meeting" finally led to Lin's departure, though he encouraged many of his core creative team to remain and see the movie through to the end.

Hertz's full novel publishes November 25, 2025, and is sure to be filled with even juicier details.