According to the most recent estimates, the turbulent production of Fast X has seen its budget balloon to a reported $340 million, which makes it not just one of the most expensive movies ever made, but comparable to one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers epics in terms of sheer expense.
That’s actually fairly apt when Dominic Toretto and the family are pretty much superheroes themselves at this point, and they’d no doubt fancy their chances against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the crossover to end all crossovers. The most significant issue facing the penultimate chapter in The Fast Saga came after only a week of shooting, though, when director Justin Lin bid adieu.
Needless to say, rumors ran rampant that disagreements with star and producer Vin Diesel were at the center of the storm, which wouldn’t exactly have been the first time the Tolkien of Tank Tops ended up rubbing one of his regular collaborators the wrong way. A huge amount of the blame was pointed at the patriarch of the family, but he’s having none of it.
When asked to reflect upon Lin’s exit in an interview with Total Film, Diesel offered a vague response that still came across as something of a shot being fired across the bows, albeit with a silencer firmly in place.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy time. There still was traces of the pandemic, and all that pressure that was put on the production. Nothing but love for Justin, and nothing but gratitude for the work that he did to get us to that first week of filming… but sometimes you’ve got to find a way to get it done.”
“You’ve got to find a way to get it done” sounds like Lin was pushed before he had the chance to jump, but given that he retains a ceremonial producing credit on Fast X, it’s unlikely we’ll get to the heart of the matter for some time to come.
Published: Mar 27, 2023 12:30 pm