Director Justin Lin quits Fast & Furious 10 days into filming

The director of the upcoming Fast & Furious movie Fast X has unexpectedly quit.

Justin Lin, who directed five previous Fast & Furious movies and was slated to helm the 10th and 11th instalments, walked away only days into filming.

Lin posted to social media: "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.

"Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud to be 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."

Sources told Variety the production has paused while the studio scrambles to find a replacement director. Second unit filming is continuing.

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Lin co-wrote the script for Fast X with Dan Mazeau and he will keep his producer title.

Lin joined the Fast & Furious franchise when he took on directing duties for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the third instalment. He would go on direct the fourth, fifth and sixth movies before stepping back. He returned with F9.

Lin has also directed Star Trek Beyond, Finishing the Game and Annapolis.

The Fast & Furious franchise has become one of the most lucrative box office properties. The most recent film, F9, took in US$700 million when it was released in a pandemic-challenged cinema landscape in 2021.

Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron and Sung Kang will be returning for the 10th film while newcomers to the franchise include Jason Momoa, Michael Rooker and Brie Larson. Momoa has been cast as the villain.

Director Justin Lin and star Vin Diesel on the set of F9.

Diesel confirmed the 11th film will be the final Fast & Furious movie while teasing future spin-offs.

He told Vulture: "I love the fact that I get to play Dom Toretto. The finale comes because every good story needs a finale, because every book that you've read has a last chapter, because that's the nature of storytelling.

"I'm sure that there are people that would love for Fast to continue on and on and on and on. The universe, the Fast Universe, will do that, clearly, and there'll be different iterations of stories and different storylines that are played out within the future.

"But in terms of this mythology, I think we owe it to fans – even though I suspect it'll feel bittersweet to a lot of people – to give them the finale."

Lin's exit isn't the first drama to hit the franchise, which has had to face the challenge of Paul Walker's unexpected death during the production of Furious 7.

Fast X is currently slated for release in May 2023.