The Fast and Furious movies have saved many a film fans night with their adrenaline-laced action. However, what many cinematic car enthusiasts may not know is that the Fast and Furious IP isn’t just responsible for battling boredom; it also may have saved the career of director Justin Lin.
Justin Lin is responsible for some of the best Fast and Furious movies in the free-wheeling franchise, and after working on the action movie, Fast 5, the filmmaker was tasked to helm Fast & Furious 6. The only catch for Lin directing the 2013 film was that he had to walk away from another project – none other than Terminator Genisys.
That is right, back in 2011, Deadline reported how Lin was originally signed on to direct the Terminator movie, but thankfully the Fast Saga dragged him away. For those who may not know, Terminator Genisys is considered by many to be one of the worst movies in the franchise – with a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.
James Cameron, who kickstarted the Terminator IP, has even criticised Genisys and the other Terminator sequels, Rise Of The Machines and Salvation. And Emilia Clarke- who starred in the flick – told CinemaBlend in 2018 how “relieved” she was that there was no sequel. So yeah, Lin may have dodged a bullet.
On the other hand, Fast & Furious 6 was a box office smash, grossing over $788.7 million worldwide. In fact, Fast & Furious 6 was the sixth highest-grossing movie of 2013 and received numerous reviews praising Lin’s direction.
After Fast & Furious 6, Lin would go on direct Fast and Furious 9 – titled F9, in 2021. And while the filmmaker won’t be helming Fast and Furious 10 – aka Fast X – fans can look forward to seeing his work in the upcoming TV series Seven Wonders.
Fast X races into theatres on May 19, 2023. For more upcoming releases, here is our guide to all the new movies coming out this year. Or for more on the Fast Saga, here are our guides to the best Fast and Furious characters and everyone in the Fast and Furious cast list.
Fans can also check our list of the best movies of all time. Or you can read our Fast and Furious 9 review.