Man, this shit really makes Vin Diesel look bad.
The word from THR is that Universal is having a hard time filling the director’s chair for the next FAST & FURIOUS movie, and that is largely Vin’s fault. Apparently, they failed to reenlist the contractually-signed James Wan, who chose to do another CONJURING movie instead, so they went after Justin Lin, who turned it down for STAR TREK BEYOND. Then, after offering “life-altering money” to Wan (which he turned down), they started going after other big-name action directors (including NON-STOP/RUN ALL NIGHT’s Jaume Collet-Serra) and newcomers alike, but haven’t gotten anyone onboard yet.
And the report, of course, hints that Diesel’s ego has a big part to play in this:
”…sources say Diesel proved extraordinarily difficult. As a producer, he is said to have questioned even small details on elaborate action sequences, often holding up the complex production. He also was known to summon filmmakers to repeated late-night script sessions to make him comfortable with his character and dialogue.”
And also this:
”Sources say Diesel must be consulted on director choices but does not have veto power over studio picks. (Some at Universal fear that Diesel will, at some point, want to direct one of the films himself. The ambition seems to be there: In 2009, Diesel wrote and directed an 18-minute short, LOS BANDOLEROS, that was intended to set up his return in the fourth FAST film.) But another source says Diesel wouldn't want to expose himself to such scrutiny on a high-profile extravaganza.”
So, Vin wants to direct it himself, but won’t risk “exposing himself,” so he’s being a pain-in-the-ass Hollywood talent over which director they sign for F8?
Quite easy to forget that Diesel BROKE THROUGH as a writer/director with the Sundance pick STRAYS (5 years before Justin Lin’s first film and 7 years before SAW), and peg him as the tough-guy bruiser bossing Uni around on their own lot, isn’t it?
The idea that the studio and Neal Moritz (who, for the record, made this statement: “Obviously, if there was any issue, we wouldn't be making the eighth [film] with [Diesel] right now.”) can’t sign a director because of the difficulty of working with Vin is ludicrous. If John Frankenheimer could get a coherent, even fun film out of the swampy hell that was the Brando-and-Kilmer-plagued production of ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, then SOMEONE in this biz can undoubtedly help get an eighth film of this franchise across the finish line.
A bigger concern is the notion that anyone they sign, like Wan, will be forced to reconcile their own personal style with not only the previous films, but with the directives from Universal, Moritz, and yes, Diesel; there’s hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars at stake here, and it’s understandable that many artists would rather work smaller and more personal than have all that pressure to deliver a worldwide-viable commercial product.
But to say that Diesel, whose return bookmarked the elevation of these films to tentpole status, is the one “keeping things from moving forward,” sounds like typical studio misdirect bullshit, aimed to sully the rep of the single biggest Hollywood player in social media today. Even if he is a major presence behind-the-scenes, Diesel’s persona and personal efforts (including the added emphasis on “mi famiglia”) are an incalculable factor in the franchise being what it is today, and it is only natural that the actor-producer have a major say in which direction the series and his character go.
But it doesn’t seem like Universal is happy about having to relinquish that much control over a major franchise to one individual, highly vocal, slightly unpredictable talent. Ever wonder why every JURASSIC movie up until this point has had a different lead than the last?
One thing’s for sure: even with Statham, The Rock, Tyrese, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest, they got nothin’ without Vin, and they know it, so they gotta put up with whatever terms (including him being “consulted” on director choices) they were silly enough to put in his contract back when they thought they could boss him around more.
So, who should direct, a.k.a. who’s good with a car chase? Chris McQuarrie? Gareth Evans? Neveldine/Taylor?
Los Bandoleros from Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez on Vimeo.
FAST AND FURIOUS 8 will hopefully still kick into second gear on April 14th, 2017.
