Justin Lin, director of indie drama Better Luck Tomorrow and Fast and the Furious franchise installments The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and the recent Fast Five, has signed a two–year first–look deal with Universal Pictures.

The deal””through Lin’s new production company, Barnstorm Pictures, which will be based on the Universal lot””will see him working in various aspects on everything from blockbusters to smaller independent films.

The director already has a list of movie projects lined up, the biggest of them being Fast and the Furious 6, which is schedule for release on May 24, 2013. After that, he has an action/spy flick called Leading Man, a World War II drama that tells the story of a Japanese American battalion that is to this day the most decorated in U.S. history, and an untitled sci-fi/crime thriller that will be directed by Robert Glickert.

Lin has some other projects being set up that don’t have major studio backing yet. The most notable of these is the fifth film in the Terminator franchise, followed by an adaptation of the manga Lone Wolf and Cub, a western titled Brigands of Rattleborge, and a psychological drama titled We Disappear.

Of the deal and why Universal was such a perfect fit, Lin said “They gave me my shot. I went from a credit card movie at Sundance to them handing me the Fast franchise. I feel like I grew up at the studio. If I had choice to be anywhere, this is the place.”

With Fast Five bringing $600 million in to Universal and the 2013 date set, it’s assumed that Fast 6 is the priority and will be next, but an official announcement on

[Source: THR]