TheFast & Furiousfranchise was stunned when longtime directorJustin Lindeparted the family suddenly following disputeswith series starVin Diesel. Filling the hole he left was going to be no small task considering Lin helmed five films in the franchise starting withThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftand helped usher the series into its status as a Hollywood tentpole. If series mainstayMichelle Rodriguezis to be believed though, the franchise found a suitable director to take the wheel for the upcomingFast XinLouis Leterrier.
Leterrier is no stranger to directing high-octane action flicks or blockbusters. In the 2000s, he sat behind the camera for theJason Statham-ledThe Transporteras well as the box office hitThe Incredible Hulkwhich featuredEdward Nortonin the lead role beforeMark Ruffaloemerged as the superhero in the MCU. Beyond that, he also directed the starry thrillerNow You See Mein 2013, though he’s since chosen to do television, directing episodes of series likeLupinandThe Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Most importantly for hisFast & Furiousqualifications, however, is that he’s a big fan of the franchise. During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterat Comic-Con forDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Rodriguez had high praise for the energy he brought as someone who clearly loved the films, saying “He’s so dope, man.”
Rodriguez admitted that, at first, without the familiar presence of Lin, the team behind the film felt a bit lost. Once Leterrier stepped in, however, new life was breathed into the production with the actress saying of him:
He came with all this energy of love. We haven’t had that in Fast and Furious for a very long time where we get somebody excited who’s a real fan and who really wants to take it places that it hasn’t gone before. We’ve been at it for 20 years, bro. After all that time, you get jaded and kind of forget what you do it for [until] a director like Louis comes in and reminds you, ‘This is beautiful. Let’s go make magic.’ We’re so lucky to have him bro.
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With Leterrier bringing aboard a creative team of his fellow French natives, Rodriguez joked that this film is “the FrenchFast & Furious.” She added “Our special effects team, all of the guys who are doing the fights, they’re all French. Our second AD is French. Our director’s French. It’s like the French takeover, dude.” Despite the overhaul from the new director, Lin’s fingerprints will still be on the upcomingFast X. He’s still on board as producer, alongside Diesel,Neal Moritz, Jeff Kirschenbaum, andSamantha Vincent, and he penned the script alongsideDan Mazeau.
Fast Xfeatures the return of Diesel and Rodriguez as well asTyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang,Scott Eastwood, andCharlize TheronwithCardi BandMichael Rookerset to reappear after their franchise debuts inFast 9. Jumping in the car for the first time will beJason Momoa, Brie Larson,Rita Moreno,Alan Ritchson, andDaniela Melchior. Details have been remarkably scarce about the film, though it’s speeding toward an eventual finale for the franchise with one more film.
Fast Xpulls into theaters on July 30, 2025.
Check out the trailer forF9,the most recent entry to theFastfranchise below:
