Director Justin Lin Leaves 'Fast & Furious 10': 'I Have Made The Difficult Decision'

Director Justin Lin, who was supposed to direct the final installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, has announced that he is no longer directing the movie. However, he will continue to serve as a producer on the project.

"With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of FAST X, while remaining with the project as a producer," the 50-year-old Taiwanese-American director wrote on the official Twitter handle of the franchise Tuesday.

Lin shared he has been associated with the franchise for over 10 years and directed five installments so far. He also shared that as an Asian immigrant child, he felt proud of working on this project.

"Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases," he continued. "On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history."

"I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family," he concluded.

Fans of the franchise took to the comments section to share their reactions.

One of the fans joked, "Translation: I don’t wanna direct what has now become science fiction marvel films franchise that don’t make any sense in reality."

Another fan speculated, "Why do I have a funny feeling that Vin Diesel has something to do with this. He’s the reason why Dwayne walked. I bet he’s the reason why Lin has aswell."

Lin is not the first person who left the franchise. Previously, actor Dwayne Johnson, who played Luke Hobbs in the sixth installment, revealed that he is never returning back.

"This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly – and privately – that I would not be returning to the franchise," Johnson said last year in December.

Lin worked as a director on the popular car racing franchise since 2006's "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift." He went on to direct 2009's "Fast & Furious," 2011's "Fast Five," 2013's "Fast & Furious 6" and 2021's "F9: The Fast Saga."