The first Fast and Furious movie in 2001 wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for the article “Racer X”, about illegal car racing in the suburbs of New York. In 1998, director Rob Cohen read it and decided to make a film about it. During the development of the script, two rival gangs appeared that were relocated to downtown Los Angeles, as well as a policeman who infiltrates one of them to solve a case of robbing trucks.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this
Work progressed with specific actors in mind. Dominic Toretto, the leader of the Family, was to be played by… Timothy Olyphant. However, he refused because he did not want to make a similar film to “60 Seconds”, in which he starred a year earlier. They had a certainty for the role of a policeman – he was supposed to be … Eminem. The rapper had not yet appeared in “8 Mile” at that time. And because that production was largely based on his story, the musician rejected the proposal of the producers of “Fast and the Furious” and finally the role went to Paul Walker, who immediately won the hearts of fans (and fans) of the first part. It was similar with other heroes, for example, as Mia, the creators saw Eliza Dushku, then there were several other candidates. Once the cast was settled, it turned out that at least two important characters who were supposed to love fast cars did not even have a driving license. Actresses Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster (a.k.a. Letty Ortiz and Mia Toretto in the film) first had to take an intensive driving course in Las Vegas.
When the first Fast and the Furious hit theaters in 2001, I was in high school. I still remember going to the cinema. The plot may have been pretty standard, but those racing scenes! These concepts of nitro type completely unknown to me, but how it was effectively shown. I’m not exaggerating that I know people who were speechless and planned another visit to the cinema right after the screening.
However, no one expected it to be such a success. Certainly not the Universal film studio, because the creators had a budget of $ 36 million, which was not too much for an action movie. Meanwhile, only in the United States, after the first weekend of screening, it returned with a vengeance (revenues from the so-called opening weekend amounted to USD 40.8 million). Worldwide, the film grossed over $207 million. And that was just the beginning. The fans were not disturbed even by the poor level of the subsequent parts – the continuation was recommended by only half of the viewers who posted a rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the film earned its money.
Then it was sometimes better, sometimes worse, but still moving forward. When it comes to artistic value, the “seven” from 2015 has done the best, with 81 percent. positive reviews from journalists and 82 percent. from viewers. Unfortunately, the latest part of professional reviewers did not like it very much. The first installment of the farewell trilogy (a total of 12 films is to be made) has only 57 percent. positive ratings. How moviegoers will react to the movie “Fast and Furious 10”, we will see when it enters cinemas. In Poland, it will happen on May 19.
Fast and Furious – Ratings Gazeta.pl/Marta Kondrusik
They’re still fast and furious, but they’re talking less and less about cars
In each part we have races or chases, as well as conversations about cars that are an important part of the franchise. Bloomberg.com that the characters spent 13 minutes and 13 seconds on the latter in the first part, which is 12.4 percent. movie. In the next three installments it was 8-10 minutes, and then the average dropped a lot. In the fifth it is only 6:12 minutes, in the sixth it is only 3:58, and in the seventh it is 3 minutes. The balance between street racing and chasing, over time, began to tilt definitely in favor of the latter. While the first part is 6:10 minutes of watching car races, which are typical competitions, and 13:36 minutes of car chases, in the seventh it is only 33 seconds and 30:32 minutes respectively!
You might also be interested in how many cars were destroyed in each movie. Here we also have data from the first seven films that were made available by the insurer. It turns out that the “six” was the most “cracking” among them:
- “Fast and Furious”: 78 cars
- “Fast for Furious”: 130 cars
- “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift”: 249 cars
- “Fast and Furious”: 190 cars
- “Fast and Furious 5”: 260 cars
- “Fast and Furious 6”: 350 cars
- “Fast and Furious 7”: 230 cars
A family for life
For more than two decades, Vin Diesel and many other actors have not only enjoyed working together, but have also become friends in private. The tragic death of Paul Walker in 2013 was a huge blow to them. In November, he attended a charity auction for his Reach Out Worldwide organization and, together with foundation co-founder Roger Rodas, went for a drive in the Porsche Carrera GT – the highlight. Unfortunately, Rodas, driving at excessive speed, lost control of the car. They both died.
The production of the seventh part of the “Fast and the Furious” has been suspended. Later, the script was changed so that using, among others, CGI and archival shots give an appropriate farewell to Brian O’Conner and Walker who plays him. He was replaced by brothers Caleb and Cody in some scenes. A few years later, Vin Diesel walked the daughter of a deceased friend down the aisle.
The “Family” – because not only the team of Dom Toretta’s gang is called so many times, but also the whole film, over time also joined m. Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson. Again, the role of Hobbs was reportedly written for Tommy Lee Jones, but Diesel listened to numerous suggestions from fans who wanted to see The Rock and Diesel together on screen. It did so well that Johnson got a spin-off – in 2019, “Fast and the Furious: Hobbs and Shaw” premiered, in which Jason Statham played the second title role.
The Rock is one of the most popular people on the planet, and maybe that’s why there were sparks between him and Diesel at times? It’s hard to say, in any case, Johnson made it clear as far back as 2021 that he doesn’t intend to star in “Fast & Furious” again. Speaking to CNN, commenting on Diesel’s public attempts to get him back, the actor said:
I said [Dieselowi – red.] directly that I will not return to the franchise. I was firm but cordial and said I would always support the cast and always cheer for the success of the series, but there’s no way I’m coming back. Vin’s last public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he mentioned his children in the post, as well as the death of Paul Walker. Leave them alone. We talked about it a few months ago and came to an agreement.
Birds are chirping that maybe not all is lost yet…
“Fast and Furious 10” – the debut of Jason Momoy and electric cars
Anyway, “Fast and Furious 10” secured another big name – the cast includes Jason Momoa as the son of a drug cartel boss who faces Dom and his family, driving not only cars, but also Harleys. Electric cars will also be featured in the series for the first time. Fast and Furious 10 is the eighth most expensive movie ever made. What did the 340 million dollars go to (almost 10 times more than the first part cost!) And how quickly – because yes, it is certain – will they pay back? We’ll find out in the next few weeks.
Fast and furious – budget and revenue Gazeta.pl/Marta Kondrusik
Pictures were shot in London, Rome, Turin, Lisbon and Los Angeles. “When we started making this film, the studio asked us if we could tell the story in two parts. And when studio bosses saw the first part, they asked if it couldn’t be made into the finale of the trilogy. – said Diesel during the premiere in Rome. We will wait for the 11th part until 2025, and then it’s time for the 13th, (supposedly) a really final goodbye.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
