The Fast X You Didn’t See: A Terrible Car Sequence and Way More Dwayne Johnson

Fast X was messy behind the scenes, and now we have a clearer picture of just how messy. Days into filming, director Justin Lin walked over creative differences, and an unauthorized new book says the fallout was bigger and stranger than anyone let on. It also sounds like we missed out on a lot more Hobbs than a 30-second tease.

The book behind the drama

The unauthorized book 'Welcome to the Family' (via IndieWire) digs into the production chaos. According to it, a bunch of ideas hit the cutting room floor early, including one associate producer Josh Henson called the 'sh-tty car sequence' and, more importantly, a major storyline featuring Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs.

'I also had this idea I'd been pitching for years called the 'shitty car sequence' - I want to see Dom and the crew driving beat-up Pintos and Toyota Camrys and using those to pull off something amazing.'

The Hobbs plan that got axed

Yes, Hobbs does pop up in Fast X, but only in the end credits to set up whatever comes next. The book claims the early drafts gave him a much bigger role. The version that almost happened would have pitted Dom and Jakob against Hobbs and Shaw in a giant showdown. Honestly, that tracks: Dom and Jakob in F9 had a similar rivals-to-allies arc as Hobbs and Shaw, so throwing those pairs at each other makes sense.

But rising costs and clashes between Lin and the higher-ups killed that idea. Shame, honestly.

Money trouble, meet franchise fatigue

Even with Hobbs mostly excised, the price tag still ballooned. Fast X hauled in $704 million worldwide, which is a solid number on paper, but the profit margin reportedly did not thrill the studio once you factor in what it cost to make and market the thing.

Per The Wall Street Journal, Universal brass are now waffling on how to handle Fast & Furious 11 after Fast X's so-so returns relative to its spend. The current push is to lock the budget at $200 million, which is about $50 million less than what the film's current draft is budgeted for. Translation: they want to shave roughly $50 million off what is on the page right now. That might be sensible for most blockbusters, but for the supposed finale of a decades-long saga with a sprawling cast, that cap could squeeze the scope.

Fast X, by the numbers

• IMDb: 5.7
• Rotten Tomatoes: 56% Tomatometer, 84% Audience Score
• Reported budget: $340 million
• Worldwide box office: $704 million

Would you have preferred a full-on Dom and Jakob vs Hobbs and Shaw throwdown instead of a cameo? Same. Tell me where you land.

Fast X is available to rent on Apple TV in the U.S.