Making a blockbuster movie under any circumstances is never an easy task, especially a globetrotting behemoth that marks the penultimate installment in one of cinema’s highest-grossing franchises ever, but Fast X has been laboring under a different set of trials and tribulations than any of the previous entries.
Once Justin Lin stepped away from the director’s chair when production was already underway, everyone instantly assumed that the filmmaker’s decision had something to do with Vin Diesel. While that hasn’t been confirmed or denied outright, with The Fast Saga veteran remaining diplomatically silent, various reports have pinpointed the leading man and producer’s desire to exert control as the reason.
As a result, the budget has reportedly skyrocketed to somewhere approaching $300 million, with Fast X burning through almost a million dollars per day as the cast and crew remained in a holding pattern until Louis Leterrier was confirmed to be taking over.
A lot of fans mocked one of Diesel’s first behind the scenes videos from the set, remarking that Lin looked more like someone who was being held hostage than a filmmaker thrilled to be working on their latest project, and we can expect the same sort of response now that the longtime Dominic Toretto has posted a new clip alongside a similarly unenthusiastic Nathalie Emmanuel, which you can see below.
There’s just over a year to go until Fast X roars onto the big screen, with Leterrier’s recent Netflix action comedy The Takedown hardly instilling supporters with much confidence, but we’ll reserve judgement until at least the first footage arrives.