Fast and Furious director Justin Lin is launching his first project after the franchise

After more than 15 years as the mastermind behind the “Fast and Furious” franchise, Justin Lin has made his first post-racing film. The filmmaker, who left Fast X last year due to creative differences, is directing The Last Days of John Allen Chau, IndieWire has confirmed.

The film, based on Alex Perry’s 2019 Outside Magazine article, is a return of sorts to Lin’s roots. The director first rose to fame with a number of independent films such as ‘Shopping for Fangs’, the 2002 Sundance hit ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ and 2007’s ‘Finishing the Game’. Since 2006, however, Lin has become best known for his work on the blockbuster “Fast and Furious” films, directing “Tokyo Drift” and the next four titles in the series. After handing over the franchise to James Wan and F. Gary Gray after “Fast and Furious 6,” he returned to the director’s chair for 2021’s “F9” and also directed “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016.

Like the original article, “The Last Days of John Allen Chau” focuses on the title character, a man who embarks on a perilous journey to meet the retreating tribes of North Sentinel Island. The screenplay is written by Ben Ripley, best known as the producer of ‘Source Code’, ‘Boychairs’ and ‘Flatliners’.

Lin was originally slated to direct “Fast X.” He is still on board as a writer and producer, but has been replaced by “Now You See Me” director Louis Leterrier. Lin reportedly left the May release film just days into production after a major disagreement with franchise star Vin Diesel.

Still, Lin isn’t leaving the world of blockbusters just yet. The director is still wanted at Sony for the upcoming feature film adaptation of One Punch Man, the Japanese manga series One Punch Man from anonymous artists One. The manga, about the depressed superhero Saitama, who can defeat any opponent with a single punch, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

Lin and her production company Perfect Storm are repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern. Ripley is repped by Brillstein Entertainment, Verve and Stankevich Law.

Deadline was the first to report on Lin’s latest film.

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