Fast X director Louis Leterrier described how much he had to convince Vin Diesel he was the right person to take over following Justin Lin's departure.

Speaking with Total Film, Leterrier, who replaced Lin as the director of the latest Fast & Furious movie in May 2022, had little time to prepare himself for leading the production. Thankfully, his knowledge and appreciation for the popular franchise quickly helped him to settle, winning Diesel's approval along the way. With that said, Leterrier admitted the process hasn't been easy. "I had to change everything. I had to make it work," he said, "I don’t sleep! There’s so much to do. [But] it’s been the thrill ride of a lifetime."

RELATED: Fast X Firmly Entrenches Dom at the Franchise's Tony Stark

Leterrier joined Fast X after Lin left the project just two days into production. Lin reportedly left the film due to on-set issues with Diesel, with one of the film's producers revealing the actor showed up late to the set, looked out of shape and forgot some of his lines. The final straw for Lin was a very tense meeting with Diesel, who made impromptu script changes, leading to the then-director deciding he had enough as he needed to preserve his mental health. Before his exit, Lin was a mainstay in the Fast & Furious franchise, first helming its third installment, Tokyo Drift. He then directed the fourth, fifth, and sixth films before returning to make F9. The details leading to Lin's departure also added fuel to the perception of Diesel being hard to work with considering his on-set behavior also led to Dwayne Johnson leaving the franchise.

Though Lin's departure brought a sour end to an otherwise successful working relationship, Leterrier is a solid addition to the Fast & Furious series considering his work on successful tentpoles like the MCU's The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans. The French filmmaker most recently directed The Takedown, an action comedy movie released last May for Netflix.

The 10th Fast & Furious Film

Fast X once again sees Diesel's Dominic Toretto front and center as he confronts his past in the form of the flamboyant villain Dante (Jason Momoa), the son of Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes. Dominic and his former long-time partner Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) took out Reyes in Rio de Janeiro during Fast Five, leading Dante on a vengeful mission to wipe out Dominic and his family. According to the film's synopsis, Dante spent the next "12 years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price."

RELATED: Fast X Hints That a Long-awaited Spinoff May Become a Reality

Many of the Fast & Furious franchise's mainstays return for Fast X, including Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyres Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Nathalie Emmanuel. John Cena reprises his role from F9 as Dominic's brother Jakob while Avengers: Endgame actor Brie Larson plays Dominic's ally Tess. Wonder Woman franchise star Gal Gadot will reportedly feature once again as Gisele Yashar despite her character being killed off in Fast & Furious 6. Fast X begins a two-part finale for the long-running series that debuted in 2001.

Fast X opens in theaters on May 19.

Source: Total Film