Foreign media revealed the inside story of Justin Lin's withdrawal from "Fast and Furious 10" and Universal lost millions of dollars a day

"Fast & Furious 10" just started filming last week, and director Justin Lin suddenly announced his withdrawal due to "creative differences", shocking many people. Recently, foreign media "Variety" interviewed many industry insiders, trying to find out the reason why Justin Lin withdrew, and pointed out that the crew would lose millions of dollars if they stopped working for a day without a director.

Variety pointed out that currently only the B group of Fast & Furious 10 is still filming some scenes without the main characters in the UK, and the A group has completely stopped working. People familiar with the production process of Hollywood blockbusters said that if the crew with big stars stops working for one day, it will lose 600,000 to 1 million US dollars.

What's more important is that big stars like Jason Momoa and Charlize Theron already have tight schedules. If they can't resume filming, they may go to other crews to film. By then, Universal will suffer even greater losses if they have to coordinate their schedules.

The exit statement uses the "Speedy" font

Analysts believe that Justin Lin's withdrawal statement was not released through his own social media or agency, but through the official social media account of "Fast & Furious", using the "Fast & Furious" special font. This can be used as indirect evidence: Justin Lin discussed his withdrawal with Universal in advance, and the film company was not caught off guard. It is estimated that they have been looking for a replacement director for a long time.

In order to maintain a unified style, Universal should look for directors who are familiar with this subject matter, such as Rob Cohen who directed "Fast & Furious 1", James Wan who directed "Fast & Furious 7", F. Gary Gray who directed "Fast & Furious 8", and David Leitch who directed "Fast & Furious Hobbs & Shaw".

Rob Cohen on the set of The Fast and the Furious

Among these directors, Rob Cohen has not directed a film since 2018 and has been embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment in recent years. However, when promoting the film "The Hurricane" in 2018, he expressed his hope to direct the final episode of the series to complete a cycle.

F. Gary Gray is currently directing the Netflix original film "Lyft" (starring Kevin Hart); David Leitch is working with Universal on "Fall Guy" starring Gosling, so he probably doesn't have much free time, and James Wan is busy with the post-production of "Aquaman 2".

Variety magazine believes that when a top director like James Wan comes in, he will definitely have to modify the script, which not only involves time but also requires discussions with producers and investors.

Foreign media wrote: As we all know, Vin Diesel is the real "driver" of this series. He is the producer of this film and he has never been shy about publicly expressing his dissatisfaction with the creative decisions of the film.

Variety revealed that on April 20, Vin Diesel had posted the first draft of the Fast & Furious 10 script, written by Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau. This version of the script did not include Mia, played by Jordana Brewster, the sister of Dom, played by Vin Diesel. Vin wrote: "I'm disappointed and I don't know how to continue." Not long after Vin Diesel complained, he got what he wanted, and Jordana Brewster finally joined the film.

Vin Diesel's control over the series is also reflected in the relationship between him and Johnson. The tense relationship between the two led to Johnson's non-participation in "Fast & Furious 9". Before the filming of "Fast & Furious 10", Vin also publicly called on Johnson to return, but Johnson refused.

So, Vin Diesel should be the director himself? Foreign media pointed out that the actor had directed a short film about Dom in 2009, "Los Bandoleros", which took place before "Fast & Furious 4". Vin Diesel also directed a feature film, "Lost", in 1997. However, foreign media believed that Universal still wanted a more experienced director to take charge of this blockbuster.