As the search for a new director for Fast X continues, second unit filming continues whilst the costs begin to mount up.
Little question what the biggest movie surprise of the week has been: the sudden exit of series stalwart Justin Lin from the director’s chair of the latest Fast & Furious movie. Fast X was just four days into production when Lin abruptly left the project, due to – yes! – creative differences. That’s left a movie that has a finite amount of time to get in the can – courtesy of the complex matrix of star scheduling commitments elsewhere – needing a new director, and urgently.
Second unit photography continues on the movie, but the main unit has inevitably ground to a halt whilst Universal seeks out a replacement for Lin. The problem it faces is that directors who have worked on the series before are all tied up on other projects, and Variety estimates the cost of keeping the film in limbo is between $600,000 and $1m per day.
A new director also has to be signed off by Vin Diesel, whose control over the franchise appears to have grown exponentially over time. Not for nothing are many speculating that Diesel may end up directing it himself at this rate.
The film’s due in cinemas in 13 months, on May 19th 2023. Expect some speedy appointments to be made, or for that date to shift. Either way, Universal’s bank balance hasn’t had a good week.
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