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- Planning a two-part finale during the pandemic
- Revisiting Fast Five and introducing a new nemesis
- Writers, creative teams, and wild set-piece ideas
- Big names, swelling cast, and rising costs
- Lin’s core crew and production kickoff
- The viral Instagram moment and a change in mood
- Creative clashes: the disputed twist and the effects-heavy finale
- Lin’s departure and the immediate fallout
- Practical ripple effects and production uncertainty
- Who stepped in and the aftermath for Lin
- Voices from the set: memories and regrets
- About the book and the exclusive excerpt
Justin Lin’s sudden exit from Fast X stunned Hollywood. An excerpt from Barry Hertz’s new unauthorized book lifts the curtain on months of intense prep, widening ambitions, and a clash over a story twist and an effects-heavy finale that pushed the director to walk away.
Planning a two-part finale during the pandemic
Justin Lin began sketching the next chapter while F9 waited for release. Long Zoom sessions with writer Alfredo Botello, producer Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Universal executive Jay Polidoro explored weighty themes. The creative team wanted consequences for the crew’s global chaos. They debated what happens when a lifetime of reckless missions catches up with a family man.
- Core idea: the Toretto clan faces public judgment for past wreckage.
- Emotional beat: Dom as an older father with his child’s life at risk.
- Tone: action blockbuster with a moral reckoning.
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Lin aimed to tie threads from his earlier films into a single, high-stakes ending.
Revisiting Fast Five and introducing a new nemesis
The script returned to the franchise’s celebrated heist in Rio. The antagonist concept grew from that moment. Enter Dante Reyes, the vengeful son of Hernan Reyes. His plan: expose Dom and his team as global villains and hold Little Brian hostage.
Botello explained the logic: an incidental figure can become the biggest threat. The idea played to the franchise’s history of rising rivals and the consequences of past violence.
Writers, creative teams, and wild set-piece ideas
Lin picked Dan Mazeau to help shape the screenplay. Longtime contributors shifted roles. Perfect Storm, Lin’s creative group, pushed for extravagant action sequences and exotic locations. Many of the proposed moments were cinematic fever dreams.
- A recurring fantasy: a massive boring drill rampaging through a city.
- “Shitty car” pitch: Toretto crew using beat-up cars to pull off a major stunt.
- Blocked ideas: a sprawling “Legion of Doom” reunion of past villains.
Several sequences changed or vanished as drafts circulated. The only constant for a while was a plan to end on a cliffhanger.
Big names, swelling cast, and rising costs
Casting exploded. The production tried to knit many characters into a single arc. Returning players and new faces multiplied the film’s logistical needs and budget demands.
- New additions: Jason Momoa as Dante, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior.
- Returning players: Jakob, Cipher, Deckard, Queenie Shaw, and others.
- Reality: larger cast meant higher travel, trailers, and pre-payment costs.
Above-the-line spending reportedly topped $100 million before cameras rolled.
Lin’s core crew and production kickoff
Lin reunited much of his trusted crew: cinematographer Stephen F. Windon, second-unit leaders Spiro Razatos and the Gill brothers, editors Dylan Highsmith and Kelly Matsumoto, and VFX lead Peter Chiang. Leavesden Studios near London hosted principal photography in April 2022 on multiple soundstages.
The shoot began with high-pressure sequences involving Charlize Theron. Early days seemed productive. Then a social media clip from Vin Diesel altered perceptions.
The viral Instagram moment and a change in mood
Diesel posted a short Instagram video of himself with Lin. Fans later read the clip as ominous. Some on set saw it the same way; others remembered Lin in good spirits during the first three shooting days.
Windon and other crew members recall a happy Lin on Friday night, then an abrupt shift by the following week. Within days, Lin announced he was stepping down as director.
Creative clashes: the disputed twist and the effects-heavy finale
A major flashpoint involved a late script twist: a revealing paternity claim that would tie Dante to Little Brian. Some felt this dark turn forced Dom into an ultimate test of his definition of family. Others, notably Diesel and his close circle, opposed it.
At the same time, studio executives questioned a colossal climactic set piece. The proposed finale centered on an excavator-like machine that would cause widespread destruction. Critics inside the production said the sequence veered into Marvel- or Transformers-style territory and relied heavily on CGI.
Concerns included rising VFX costs and a mismatch with the franchise’s tone.
Lin’s departure and the immediate fallout
After an intense closed-door meeting, Lin chose to leave the director’s chair. He remained attached as a producer. The move was unusual: typically studios fire directors mid-shoot. In this case, the director walked away from a megaproject.
The crew reacted with shock and grief. Many contemplated following him out of loyalty. Lin urged key collaborators to stay and let the movie continue. Most did. A few people, including the head of previz, stepped aside.
Practical ripple effects and production uncertainty
With months of preproduction invested, dozens of crew members worldwide, and locations and stunts already mapped, the studio had to decide quickly. Names circulated for potential replacements. Key department heads worried about job security and creative continuity.
Stunt coordinators and second-unit teams braced for change. The franchise had weathered crises before, but this felt different.
Who stepped in and the aftermath for Lin
Universal eventually hired Louis Leterrier to complete the film. Lin returned to smaller-scale projects, shifting toward indie work. The book claims Lin chose to leave, rather than being ousted by the studio.
Insiders say the dispute centered on creative control, a divisive twist, and an expensive, CGI-heavy climax.
Voices from the set: memories and regrets
Crew members recall both the highs and the unraveling. Some remember Lin’s clarity about character arcs and long-term franchise planning. Others emphasize how the ballooning cast and shifting scripts made consensus difficult.
- Producers and creatives described the atmosphere as charged and fast-moving.
- Department heads debated whether to stay loyal or protect their teams’ livelihoods.
- Many accepted the uncertainty and chose to continue the work.
About the book and the exclusive excerpt
IndieWire published an exclusive excerpt from Barry Hertz’s unauthorized history, Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World. The book delves into the franchise’s rise and the turbulent Fast X production. Grand Central is the publisher, and the title carries a 2025 copyright by Barry Hertz, reprinted in part with permission.
