After twenty years working together, Universal Studios has parted ways with longtime Fast & Furious producer Neal Moritz in part due to a dispute over the upcoming spinoff film Hobbes & Shaw.
THR reports Moritz, who is infamously known as a contentious power player in Hollywood, has been entirely removed from the Fast & the Furious franchise. Moritz has worked on the series since the first film was released in 2001. The collaboration has been incredibly successful for both Moritz and Universal Studios, with the franchise earning over $5 billion dollars across almost twenty years.
The dispute reportedly came to a head due to a legal dispute over the upcoming spinoff. Universal's argument is Moritz is entitled to a producer role on sequels and reboots to the Fast & the Furious franchise. However, this does not extend to spinoffs like Hobbes & Shaw. Moritz contends he made an oral arrangement with Universal Pictures President Jimmy Horowitz to produce the film. Moritz was removed from Hobbes & Shaw shortly before production on the film began.
After Moritz specifically named Horowitz in a lawsuit over his removal, Universal decided to part ways with the producer. He will not be involved in any future films in the series, including the upcoming Fast & Furious 9 that is set to begin production in just a few weeks. Even if he isn't personally involved in the franchise going forward, Moritz's pay-or-play contract means he will still be entitled to compensation for all future films in the series.
Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) from a script by longtime Fast & Furious narrative architect Chris Morgan, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby. The film arrives on August 2.