Vin Diesel: Justin Lin Will Direct Fast & Furious 9 and 10

Vin Diesel says Justin Lin will direct both Fast & Furious 9 and Fast & Furious 10. Lin has a long history with the series and has directed four of the eight Fast & Furious movies released so far (starting with 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift). The filmmaker entered talks to return to the franchise for Fast & Furious 9 last year, but this is the first time that a key player has confirmed he's coming back to the property.

During last year's promotional tour for The Fate of the Furious, producer Neal H. Moritz revealed that the current plan is for Fast & Furious 10 to end the franchise. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Fast & Furious 9 and 10 will tell a single overarching story story in two parts, much like what Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 are doing. Similar to how the Russo Brothers are directing both the third and fourth Avengers films, it appears Lin will be closing out the series that he's been a part of for more than a decade by helming the final two chapters.

Diesel and his longtime Fast & Furious costars Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris appeared on the TODAY show this week to promote the launch of Universal Orlando's newest attraction, Fast & Furious Supercharged. During their interview with the outlet, Diesel confirmed the news about Lin and teased one of the new locations in the next two Fast & Furious movies - which he promises will be even "bigger" than what's come before them:

“I just got off the phone with Justin Lin, who is directing Fast 9 and Fast 10, and I can’t tell you how excited he is. We haven’t been to Africa, I can tell you that. And we are long overdue.”

Fast & Furious - Justin Lin and Vin Diesel

Lin has directed some of the most widely celebrated Fast & Furious movies so far, including the game-changing Fast Five (which added Dwayne Johnson's Agent Hobbs to the mix). His filmmaking on the series has only grown sharper and more confident with each passing film, so it's fitting that he be the one to bring the franchise to the finish line. Lin has also shown that he knows how to balance spectacle with heart better than other Fast & Furious directors. For that reason, his involvement with Fast & Furious 9 and 10 should come as all the more welcome news for fans who felt that The Fate of the Furious in particular did wrong by the series' diehard supporters (see also: #JusticeforHan).

Fast & Furious 9 and 10 may be "bigger" than previous films like Diesel says, but they should also be less messy than the last two installments especially. Paul Walker's tragic death mid-production made Furious 7 all the more difficult for its cast and crew to complete, while Fate of the Furious suffered from both being overstuffed with characters and serving as part-backdoor pilot for next year's spinoff film starring The Rock and Jason Statham. With Johnson not expected to return for the next two mainline Fast & Furious films in a large role (and barring any tragedies mid-filming), Fast & Furious 9 and 10 should have an easier time bringing the series' plot threads to a satisfying close. A stop in Africa along the way would just be the icing on the cake.