Inside Fast & Furious ‘Fast X’ feuds, secrets and why Vin Diesel treats special effects differently to Tom Cruise

FAST and Furious fans have got their first peek at the trailer for the franchise’s new movie, which will be followed today with a TV spot at the Super Bowl.

Fast X is due for release in May and promises to be the most expensive installment in the wildly successful franchise, which premiered more than 20 years ago.

The 10th Fast & Furious movie is expected to be the most expensive installment of the franchiseCredit: Universal Studios

Fast X will premiere in theaters on May 19Credit: Universal Pictures

A source revealed to The U.S. Sun that Tom Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible movies have a deal with BMW that supplies an almost unlimited number of vehiclesCredit: Alamy

Vin Diesel returns as lead character Dominic Toretto.Credit: Rex
The U.S. Sun has been behind the scenes to reveal where things stand with the franchise’s secrets, rivalries, and special effects.

With newcomers Brie Larson and Jason Momoa set to star alongside lead man Vin Diesel, 55, the pressure is on for the team to deliver yet another hit.

That tension led to the departure last year of longtime Fast and Furious director Justin Lin following what was described at the time as a “major disagreement” between him and Vin.

Lin was replaced at the helm by Frenchman Louis Leterrier, whose previous work includes the Jason Statham vehicle The Transporter and Edward Norton’s turn as The Incredible Hulk in 2008.

A well-placed Hollywood source tells The U.S. Sun that although Leterrier, 49, directed the new Fast movie, studio execs at Universal have been more than happy to treat it as Vin’s baby.

The insider said: “These are Vin’s movies and he makes a lot of the big decisions that, in other franchises, the actual director would make.

“People forget that Vin dabbled in directing early in his career and has a real handle on it.

“He’s making sure Louis isn’t making the movie ‘too European’ and keeping everything connected to the franchise’s muscle car and action roots.

“Vin has the full support of the studio on this – as long as these movies keep making money.”

The U.S. Sun’s source explained that preparations for the marketing of the movie have gone down to the wire due to how the Fast and Furious films are made.

The insider revealed that one of the quiet innovations of the series so far has been to crash as few cars as possible while staging and filming the intricate action scenes.

Instead, the makers of Fast & Furious rely on computer effects to preserve the vehicles it uses.

The source said: “Tom Cruise’s last few Mission: Impossible movies have a deal with BMW that supplies an almost unlimited number of vehicles to the production for Tom to drive in chases and really crash the hell out of them, for real, with only minimal financial consequences.

“Now, that technique has allowed Tom to do things like have a trailer in theaters for Mission: Impossible 7 more than a year before the movie comes out.

“Vin does things completely differently because he personally hates seeing these beautiful cars get repeatedly destroyed, and for a long time now, the series has mostly relied on CGI effects for their biggest moments of automotive demolition.”

Meanwhile, Oscar-winner Brie, 33, is being seen as the new movie’s secret weapon.

Her character is known to be called Tess, but not much else has been revealed about her so far.

The role is even being touted as akin to Paul Walker’s beloved character Brian O’Conner before the actor was tragically killed in a car crash in November 2013.

Walker played the second in command to Vin’s lead character Dominic Toretto in the franchise’s first seven movies.

The insider said: ”Vin is very taken with Brie and insists that this role is going to put her back on the very top of the A-list.

“She’s in the movie a lot and has even re-shot some scenes to boost her presence in the movie.

“You can see her really emerging as a worthy successor to Paul Walker’s role in the series.

“With Vin in his mid-fifties, he’s intent on luring in younger viewers who only found these films in the last five or six years.

“Brie is the key to all that and, in success, she could be sticking around a while.

“The collaboration has worked out well for both of them, but ultimately, the fans will decide if they like her in these movies or not.”

The other newcomer to the franchise, Momoa, is set to play the villain in Fast X.

The U.S. Sun’s insider revealed that he is filling the void left by Dwayne Johnson after bridges between the pro wrestling legend and lead man Vin Diesel were burned.

Dwayne, 50, starred as government bounty hunter Luke Hobbs in five Fast & Furious movies between 2011 and 2019.

But he was not featured in the franchise’s previous installment F9 and is not a part of Fast X either.

And much as fans of the franchise would like to see the 50-year-old make a return further down the line, a source says that is not in the cards.

The Rock and Vin have been known to have beef since the end of the shooting of The Fate of the Furious in August 2016.

In an Instagram post, Dwayne called out unnamed male co-stars as “chickens**t” and “candy asses.”

When Vin extended an olive branch in November 2021, Dwayne accused him of “manipulation.”

Commenting on where the relationship is now, the Hollywood insider said: “There is no movement right now on getting Dwyane back in these movies.

“That bridge is still burned and the casting of Jason Momoa in Fast X is meant to fill the void that has been left by Dwayne in the previous movie.

“Vin isn’t looking in the rearview mirror on this issue, he’s thinking about the future and right now, the future doesn’t include a reconciliation with Dwayne.

“In fact, Vin is intent on topping the box office of all the movies that included Dwayne with Fast X, and the studio is supporting him.

“Nobody is telling Vin to stuff his pride and make nice with Dwayne.”