Michelle Rodriguez Praises Fast X Director Louis Leterrier

The Fast & Furious franchise hit a major speed bump earlier this year, when director Justin Lin departed the tenth installment, Fast X, after production had already started. A reported rift between Lin and franchise star/producer Vin Diesel caused the filmmaker to announce his exit, and Universal quickly hired Now You See Me and The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier to step in and take over. It didn’t take long for Leterrier to win over the mainstays in the Furious cast.

Longtime Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez spoke to Collider at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this month, where she was appearing for her role in the upcoming film Dungeons & Dragons. When asked about Leterrier’s work on Fast X, Rodriguez sang the praises of her new director.

“He came with all this energy of love,” Rodriguez said. “We haven’t had that in Fast and Furious for a very long time where we get somebody excited who’s a real fan and who really wants to take it places that it hasn’t gone before. We’ve been at it for 20 years, bro. After all that time, you get jaded and kind of forget what you do it for [until] a director like Louis comes in and reminds you, ‘This is beautiful. Let’s go make magic.’ We’re so lucky to have him bro.”

Leterrier is inheriting one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, with a cast that has been together for more than 20 years in some cases. Diesel, Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster starred in The Fast and the Furious way back in 2001. They’ll all be coming back for Fast X alongside fellow franchise returnees Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, and Charlize Theron.

Fast X will also be adding several new, high-profile names to the franchise. Captain Marvel star Brie Larson has joined the cast of the film, along with Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa, Reacher lead Alan Ritchson, The Suicide Squad breakout Daniela Melchior, and screen icon Rita Moreno.

Fast X is currently set to speed into theaters on May 19, 2023.