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Justin Lin to Return for Next Two ‘Fast & Furious’ Films, Says Vin Diesel

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Matt Fernandez

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Vin Diesel Justin Lin
CREDIT: Nina Prommer/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

Vin Diesel, in a surprise Facebook livestream, announced on Wednesday afternoon that director Justin Lin would be returning for the next two installments of the “Fast & Furious” series.

Lin, who Diesel referred to as a “forefather of ‘Fast,'” an “architect” of the series’ mythology, and “the one responsible for resurrecting this beautiful saga,” has previously directed four of the eight current entries. Diesel also revealed that Jordana Brewster is returning for the ninth “Fast” film. Brewster’s last appearance in the series was in “Furious 7” when her character Mia Toretto retired from the family business to start a family with the late Paul Walker’s character.

While he didn’t officially say that Lin would be serving as director in the next two installments, as he introduced Lin, Diesel said, “You wanted [movies] nine and 10 to be incredible. We’ve heard your concerns about the saga and where it needs to arrive in its final chapters.”

Universal Pictures, the studio behind the “Fast & Furious” franchise, had no comment on the news.

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The announcement comes after news broke that a spinoff film featuring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s characters is scheduled to be released in 2019 and that “Fast and Furious 9” would be delayed a year from 2019 to 2020. “Like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance,” Diesel wrote in a post on Instagram. “My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon.”

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Brotherhood… and all it's complexities. This scene was filmed in Puerto Rico, I can remember it like it was yesterday. Such a beautiful island, the people were so warm and welcoming. I turned 43 that summer… and my son Vincent was born. A woman named Jan Kelly responded to a question I had asked on Facebook, 'who they would like to see me work with?' She said would love to see me work with Dwayne… I listened to her request and he became Hobbs. I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed… but it would be unfair to say it is anyone's fault. As we plot the course to expand the Fast & Furious universe, one must be mindful to take stock of the roads we took to get here. The pillars of authenticity, family and most importantly, our loyal fan’s perspective has been instrumental in procuring success. However, like any vehicle that has run around the globe 8 times, the franchise is in need of maintenance. My good friend and the godfather of Universal, Ron Meyer has granted me the time to do just that. We have some very exciting news to share soon… stay tuned. Yours truly, Dom #FamilyAlways

A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on

Watch Diesel’s Facebook livestream below:

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