Why Justin Lin quit Fast X is finally revealed and it’s all Vin Diesel’s fault

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Director Justin Lin unexpectedly left the movie Fast X early in production, and a new book alleges that Vin Diesel was responsible for the departure.

The Fast and Furious movies started simply, with street racing and heists like stealing DVD players back in 2001. Now, the series has evolved into a global saga where Dom Toretto and his crew – a team of drivers, fighters, and secret agents – constantly work to protect the world from dangerous villains.

Fast X takes the action to a new level as Dom clashes with Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), who is seeking revenge for the death of his father, drug kingpin Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), and the downfall of his criminal organization – events that happened in the 2011 film, Fast Five. The movie earned $714 million globally on a budget of $340 million.

Although Fast X did well in theaters, fans were surprised when director Justin Lin suddenly left the project just a week after filming began. A new book about the Fast & Furious series reveals the reasons behind Lin’s departure, and it appears the issue stemmed from disagreements with Vin Diesel. Lin had been involved with the franchise since 2006.

Justin Lin and Vin Diesel clashed over the story in Fast X

Barry Hertz’s book, ‘Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious,’ reveals that Vin Diesel disagreed with Justin Lin’s plans for the movie Fast X. The book details the success of the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as the difficult and costly process of making the eleventh film.

Sources close to the film’s production say Justin Lin resigned due to growing disagreements with Vin Diesel about the film’s creative direction. Problems also arose with Diesel’s sister and producer, Samantha Vincent, who frequently communicated his views and requests.

He especially disliked Lin’s ending, which he felt went against the core idea of family that the series is built on.

The biggest disagreement during production revolved around the movie’s script and how it ended. Although the plan always included a cliffhanger, early versions of the screenplay featured a shocking reveal: that Dante was actually Little Brian’s father, according to Hertz.

Diesel reportedly disagreed with the storyline that Dominic Toretto didn’t have a biological son, Little Brian, which ultimately led to director Justin Lin leaving the project. Fans had already suspected trouble when Diesel posted a video checking in on filming, and Lin responded with a lukewarm, almost ominous, “Feels like the beginning of an epic… uh, ending.”

The book indicates Universal Pictures didn’t love a climactic chase scene Lin proposed for F9, which featured a massive excavator crushing the team’s cars. According to second-unit director and cinematographer Alexander Witt, the idea felt too similar to scenes from Marvel movies.

The main problem was the ending. It was hard to follow – this machine just starts consuming things, and the villain gets pulled into it, then emerges and begins eating cars, like something out of a Transformers film. I felt it didn’t fit the rest of the movie at all, he said.

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2025-11-26 15:19