Justin Lin’s got a lot to celebrate and enjoy right now with the success of F9: The Fast Saga, but you know how it goes with these massive film franchises; we can’t help but be a little greedy and look to the future! It was recently announced that the next installment in the main saga, Fast and Furious 10, will make its way into theaters in the Spring of 2023, with Vin Diesel revealing that filming will begin in January of 2022.
While we don’t have a release date for the final film, Fast and Furious 11,Tyrese Gibson did reveal that the plan is to shoot these last two installments back to back. While I’d like to bet Lin and the folks at Universal know what they’re doing with this hugely successful franchise, filming two massive blockbusters one after the next is bound to feel like a bit of a marathon for Lin and the Fast family.
While celebrating the digital and Blu-ray release of the F9 director’s cut, I got the chance to catch up with Lin and asked him about the potential challenges that could come with filming Fast 10 and 11 back to back. He began:
“There’s an ambition of what we want to do and there’s also real world issues that we’re encountering. But I feel like, for me, I don’t want to be greedy. I want to do what’s best for the process.”
Lin also took a moment to emphasize the importance of the story structure they’re rolling with for these final two films. Fast and Furious 10 and 11 won’t be two separate stories, but rather, one chapter told over the course of two films. Here’s how Lin put it:
“The idea of the last chapter being two films is correct. I have to say, I’m so glad — because I think when I first entered this franchise, a sequel was not a given. You had to earn it, you know? And so to be sitting here talking to you and go, ‘Oh yeah, there’s gonna be two more movies!’ I’m like, ‘Wow.’ It means a lot. So, every day when I wake up, I’m trying to reconfigure and make sure hopefully whatever we’re talking about process wise is gonna yield the best result. But I think having one chapter in two movies is correct. That’s where I sit today.”
Looking for even more from Lin? Be sure to check out our full chat at the top of this article to hear more about his priorities when putting a director’s cut together and also about his attention to detail as a creator. The F9 director’s cut will be available to own on digital, Blu-ray and 4K UHD on September 21st.