‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise Director Justin Lin Discusses His New Film About Murdered Missionary John Chau

Director Justin Lin, who is best known for the “Fast & Furious” franchise and “Star Trek Beyond,” spoke with ChurchLeaders about his new movie about missionary John Allen Chau, titled “Last Days.”

In 2018, 26-year-old American missionary Chau was killed by the Sentinelese Tribe while attempting to share the gospel. The tribe is a protected, unreached people group that inhabits the North Sentinel Islands, a chain of islands located 850 miles east of the Indian subcontinent.

According to fishermen who helped Chau reach the area, tribespeople attacked him with arrows and later dragged his body with a rope around his neck.

Lin’s film, while fictional, is inspired by Chau’s true story. The director explained how a headline at an airport in 2018 led to a three-year personal journey of empathy and filmmaking.

RELATED: American Missionary Killed Attempting To Reach ‘Most Remote’ Tribe in the World

While Lin isn’t a Christian, instead of judging Chau’s actions, Lin sought to understand Chau’s humanity by crafting a film that balances realism and imagination. Lin emphasized that his goal was never to take sides but to provoke dialogue and remind viewers of the complexity of faith, conviction, and human intent.

“When the incident happened in 2018, I was at an airport,” Lin recalled. “When the news broke, I had a very strong reaction to it. When it showed the banner, it said ‘John Allen Chau, 26 years old,’ and something really struck me. It just didn’t sit well that I was so quick to judge and dismiss somebody.”

It was after reading an article that highlighted the perspective of Chau’s father that Lin was “so moved” to explore Chau’s character and story.

“I was about 20 years into my career, and I decided it was time. So I shut everything down, worked with Ben Ripley, and we just delved in,” Lin said.

“It was a conscious effort to try to connect with John’s humanity. We might have very different worldviews, but I wanted to better understand him,” explained Lin. “In today’s world, we’re always taking sides and easily judging and dismissing. For me, it led to this three-year journey that’s brought me here talking to you—a week before sharing the film with the world.”