Fast X Is Going To Cost A Ridiculous Amount Of Money To Make
They're taking a huge risk.
This article is more than 2 years old
Fast X is due for release next year, and it’s going to have enough stars to fill a Marvel event feature. Along with the usual suspects like Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris; the last couple of months have unveiled a number of surprising additions to the first chapter of the film franchise’s finale. Jason Momoa (Aquaman) will star as a villain, Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road) will reprise her role as Cipher, and both Brie Larsen (Captain Marvel) and Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) have been cast in undisclosed roles. The result may make Fast X the best chapter of the series yet but, regardless, a new report claims it will be one of the most expensive films ever made, coming in at around $300 million.
That’s the word from The Hollywood Reporter, who says unnamed sources have informed them the budget for Fast X is getting close to $300 million, and that’s without taking into account the budget needed for “marketing and publicity.” THR’s sources also say the size of the production budget is mostly due to the cast’s inflated salaries. With Fast & Furious‘ status as Universal’s biggest and most successful franchise, Fast‘s regular cast members have been able to negotiate higher salaries over the years, and the additions of heavy hitters like Momoa and Larsen has only opened Universal’s coffers even wider.
The upcoming film’s insane budget wasn’t the main point of the THR piece, however. Instead, THR looked into exactly what happened to make Justin Lin — who has directed five of the Fast films, starting with 2006’s The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift — exit Fast X. According to their report, Lin made his decision when he stormed out of a meeting at which Vin Diesel and two other unnamed people were present, saying, “This movie is not worth my mental health.”
Though Lin’s decision may seem impulsive, THR says it had been building for months. The outlet says Lin entered Fast X believing his script for the film was a lock. Along with unexpected rewrites, a lost location due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, production reportedly dragging its feet regarding the casting of its villain, and a new writer called in to “polish” Lin’s dialogue; the director reportedly had enough. Reports indicate Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier will be stepping in to replace him.
You hear a lot of big numbers about Hollywood productions and it can get easy to forget what is and isn’t a particularly expensive project in terms of major studio productions. So, to put it in perspective, check out Wikipedia’s list of the most expensive films ever made. Without adjusting for inflation, if THR’s report about the budget of Fast X proves accurate — and assuming it doesn’t climb too much higher — Fast X will be tied with Justice League and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for the fifth most expensive film ever made.
All of this in spite of the fact that the most recent entry in the franchise — last year’s F9 — proved the lowest earner in the franchise’s history. Of course there’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic played a huge role in F9‘s relatively poor showing (“relatively” being the key word since it made over $700 million), but it’s still surprising to follow up a low earner with one of the priciest movies in the history of film. Once you factor in potential production budget increases, marketing, and publicity, it’s likely that if Fast X doesn’t speed past the $1 billion mark, Universal will be looking at a huge loss.
