Fast X director Justin Lin left the project due to star Vin Diesel's on-set behavior.
According to Daily News, one of the film's producers stated, "I've never seen anything like it. Lin's giving up $10 or $20 million [as director]... Diesel shows up late to the set. He doesn't know his lines. And he shows up out of shape."
Diesel will return as Dominic Torretto, who he has been playing since the franchise's first instalment back in 2001. The actor has had issues with other members of the production in the past, including actor Dwayne Johnson, who left the franchise in 2021. Diesel attempted to persuade Johnson to return with a social media post, which Johnson called "manipulative." Johnson said, "I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast & Furious franchise with gratitude and grace. It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters."
Upon his exit, Lin said, "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 an April 26 statement. "Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family."
Directed by Justin Lin, Fast X will be the first of a two-part finale to the Fast saga. Both the upcoming Fast X and Fast 11 will be filmed back to back. Lin previously explained, "There's an ambition of what we want to do and there’s also real-world issues that we're encountering... But I feel like, for me, I don't want to be greedy. I want to do what's best for the process."
Fast X is scheduled to race into theaters on May 19, 2023.
Source: Daily News