Which film marked the Fast & Furious franchise debut of director Justin Lin?

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift marked Justin Lin’s Fast & Furious franchise debut.

Released in 2006, Tokyo Drift follows Sean Boswell, an American teenager sent to Tokyo, where he becomes involved in the local drifting scene. Lin directed the film before later directing Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and F9.

Although Tokyo Drift was the third film released, its events were later positioned chronologically after several other entries. This unusual timeline developed because the film introduced characters and continuity elements that the franchise revisited in later stories.

The director is sometimes confused with James Wan, who directed Furious 7, or F. Gary Gray, who directed The Fate of the Furious. Lin's Tokyo Drift was his first work in the series and established his connection to its evolving action style.