During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Fast X director Louis Leterrier talks about taking on the director’s chair after veteran Fast and Furious veteran director Justin Lin left the set. When Leterrier told Lin that Universal Studios was hiring him for Fast X, Lin gave him his blessing to accept the job.

A few days after production started on April 20th, Lin left the production due to several issues with film producer and actor Vin Diesel. According to a source from NY Daily News, Diesel was unprofessional, showing up late constantly, forgetting his lines, and not staying in shape. While Lin decided to leave his directing duties, he still stayed on as a producer. Lin describes the decision as difficult due to the amount of work and passion he had for the franchise, from the actors to the stunts he directed. Lin also notes that his work on the franchise has a special place in his heart “as the child of Asian immigrants” since he helped build what he calls “the most diverse franchise in movie history.”

Fast X’s production became a whirlwind of issues with Lin’s departure. “You’re ready to shoot the thing, you don’t have a finished third act, and your director just quit,” actor Michelle Rodriguez describes to the LA Times. “Welcome to the heartache.” Despite their worries about finding a passionate director who could take up the challenge, Louis Leterrier proved capable of picking up where Lin had left off. Fellow co-star Jordana Brewster praised Leterrier for listening to the cast’s concerns and questions instead of staying closed off. Brewster said, “he spoke to every single one of us and was like, ‘Tell me your ideas. Tell me what you don’t like about the script.’”

As Rodriguez succinctly says, “He saved our ass.”