By Matthew Creith | Posted 5 hours ago

There is perhaps no better film franchise that has won over its fanbase and global appeal than The Fast and the Furious, also known as The Fast Saga. For over twenty years, the film series has provided plenty of action and adventure, and plenty of laughs, with nine films and a few spin-offs. The tenth film to be released in the franchise, x fast, is slated to debut in theaters in May 2023 and has already seen changes during production that have threatened the overall health of the series. Now it looks like one of the film’s main stars has spoken about their thoughts on those changes, mostly due to the director-to-director transition, which apparently also changed the mood on set.

According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, x fast Star Michelle Rodriguez took note of director Justin Lin’s departure from the franchise and Louis Leterrier’s arrival to helm the latest installment. At the famed San Diego Comic-Con, Rodriquez said of his experience with Leterrier, “He came in with all this loving energy. We didn’t have that in Fast and Furious for a very long time where we’re exciting someone who’s a real fan and really wants to take them where they’ve never been before. We’ve been at it for 20 years, mate. After all this time you get jaded and you kinda forget why you do it [until] a director like Louis arrives and reminds you: “It’s magnificent. Let’s go do some magic. We are so lucky to have him my brother. French director Louis Leterrier is best known for his directorial efforts on Carrier 2the marvel movie The Incredible Hulkthe heist movie Now you see meand more recently, Disassembly.

Justin Lin was gone x fast after apparent disagreements with franchise star and producer Vin Diesel. As reported by Deadline at the time, Lin remains a producer on the film, which would have been the fourth film he has directed for The Fast and the Furious franchise. He noted creative differences in his reasoning for leaving the tenth episode, even though production had already begun. However, comicbook.com notes that Lin left the project due to Diesel’s antics, which included being late, not being in shape for his role, and not learning his lines. Louis Leterrier was brought in to continue production and revamp the film a bit, which seemed to have come as a pleasant surprise to Michelle Rodriguez and possibly others.

Since its public debut in 2001, The fast and the furious the movies were rocked by the change and the filmmakers had to transition the series over time. What was initially conceived as a film about drag racing soon turned into a series of films about heists and CIA escapades spanning a multitude of international locations. Always focused on the vehicles the characters drive and the continuation of the family motif, The fast and the furious The film series is also known for its growing list of actors. The franchise starred Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Jordana Brewster in several of its episodes before Walker’s untimely death in 2013. Since then, many actors have joined the cast, including Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Jason. Statham. x fast will see the return of fan favorites Diesel, Gibson, Rodriguez, Ludacris, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron. Brie Larson has also been cast, although it’s currently unclear who she’ll be playing in the tenth film.