In somewhat surprising news, director Justin Lin won’t be returning to helm the next instalment in the Fast & Furious series, Fast & Furious 7. After revitalizing the franchise with the excellent Fast Five, Lin hopped back behind the camera for Fast & Furious 6, which looks to be another massive success. The film is set to tie into the seventh instalment but due to the studio’s planned 2014 release date, which Lin thinks is rushed, he won’t be returning.
Of course, this leaves Universal with a bit of a hole to fill. Lin is pretty familiar with the series, obviously, and would have no problem cranking out another hit for the studio. Now though, they need to find a fresh new face, on short notice. And it has to be someone who is capable of handling all the effects and stunt work that a film like Fast & Furious 7 requires.
While it would have been nice to see Lin back behind the camera for film number seven, given his proven success with the series, you can’t blame him for wanting to do something else.
He’s in pretty high demand right now and as we’ve heard over the past year or so, he does have a number of options. There’s Hibernation (a futuristic thriller), Subdivision (a sci-fi comedy), L.A. Riots (a drama) and many more. The director certainly has a lot to pick from. Seeing as each project falls into a different genre, Lin is obviously keen to step outside of the testosterone filled world of The Fast & Furious.
With Fast & Furious 7 expected to shoot this Summer, you can bet that Universal already has their eye on a replacement. When we hear more we’ll be sure to let you know. Until then, let us know in the comments who you’d like to see helm the film.