Fast X is so big that its director had to run it like a TV show

There are few movies outside of the superhero realm with casts as large as the Fast and Furious movies, and Fast X is the greatest of all. With tons of characters, different storylines, and practically every sequence set in a different place around the world, the 10th Fast and Furious movie was a mess to coordinate. Breaking things down required an unusual approach from director Louis Leterrier.

In an interview with Polygon, Leterrier, who directed every episode of Netflix The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series, explained that he actually approached Fast X (both Part One And Part two) more the way he would direct a TV show than the way he would direct a normal movie.

“I took the script I had and broke it like I was going to break a TV season,” said Leterrier. “And then [built a storyboard with] Post-its – yellow was Vin, blue was Michelle. Then I saw the balance [between characters]and I was moving sticky notes — Oh, not enough Cipher. It seems like too many blah blah scenes. And I balanced it.”

For Leterrier, the key to the whole process was actually working the end of the film series and making sure everything was in it Fast X helped bring the overall franchise story closer to that moment.

“This one, I was like, We need to know where the franchise ends because we’re so close to the end‘ said Leterrier. “If we know where we end up, let’s sow those elements that will flourish in it. If and when you watch this movie again, you’ll see a lot of sentences and lines and cutouts to photos and props and actions, and they’ll Look simple, but they mean a lot now, and will mean even more later.”

For Leterrier, treat Fast X like a TV show meant focusing on how the storyline builds over time, especially with at least two, maybe three more films of action to go. “That’s what TV is, you know,” he says. “You’re watching the story.”

Fast X is in theaters now.