Variety has learned that Louis Leterrier will be replacing Justin Lin in the director’s seat for Fast X, the tenth installment of Universal Pictures’ long-running racer/heist franchise. Leterrier is best known to Marvel fans as the director behind 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which saw Edward Norton in the lead role of Bruce Banner, but his resume also includes a handful of other recognizable hits, such as The Transporter and Clash of the Titans. Lin, who has been instrumental to the Fast and Furious series, announced his departure from Fast X last week, citing “creative differences.”
‘Fast X’: Louis Leterrier to Replace Justin Lin as Director (Variety)
Leterrier, who beat out numerous candidates for the job, per sources, is Universal picture’s first choice, and schedules are still being hammered out. He comes to the franchise with a wide array of experience in the action realm. He expanded his directing career in 2005 with two modestly budgeted action showcases for Jet Li (“Unleashed”) and Jason Statham (“Transporter 2”), and he transitioned into studio tentpoles with 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk,” 2010’s “Clash of the Titans” and 2013’s “Now You See Me.” After a box office stumble with the 2016 Sacha Baron Cohen vehicle “The Brothers Grimsby,” the French filmmaker turned to television with two hit Netflix series: 2019’s “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” and 2021’s “Lupin.” (His next feature, the French-language action film “The Takedown,” is currently in post-production for the streamer.)
A separate report from the NY Daily News claims to have further insight on why Lin had decided to distance himself from Fast X. Allegedly, much of it has to do with star Vin Diesel: sources claim that the actor has been very difficult, failing to arrive on set on time and not even knowing his lines. “And he shows up out of shape,” the publication was told.