THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS FRANCHISE [A.K.A.] THE FAST SAGA

Hi guys, we are going on a wild ride today as take a look at “THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS” series!

“THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS” [2001]:

Do you know how long the first race in the original film really was?

The first street race scene is supposedly a quarter mile race, taking approximately ten seconds. However, the race takes almost two minutes of screen time and shows the vehicles driving in excess of 150 miles per hour, faster than even a 1,200 horsepower BUGATTI VEYRON can accomplish in a 1/4 mile.

Go ahead and time it yourself:

“FAST AND THE FURIOUS” | “THE FIRST RACE”- YOUTUBE

Did you know that “THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS” is based on a magazine article?

The film series was inspired by a 1998 MAY “VIBE” article on street racing, “RACER X,” which chronicled the story of RAFAEL “RACER X” ESTEVEZ and illegal street-racing in NEW YORK. The story was WRITTEN BY KENNETH LI.

[ESTEVEZ with one of his CARS!]

[LI]

Do you know how many sound effects can be heard during the first race?

The first street race is undoubtedly the most iconic race of the series. It sets an intense tone for the films to follow and doesn’t disappoint in its awe factor. It’s where “DOM TORETTO” [VIN DIESEL - born under the name MARK SINCLAIR VINCENT] first meets “BRIAN O’CONNER” [PAUL WALKER also known as PAUL WILLIAM WALKER - IV SEPT. 12, 1973 – NOV. 30, 2013] and creates an unforgettable first impression of what to expect in the races from the first movie to “FAST FOREVER” [2028 - for now]. What's more, the race was extremely realistic. It had over 15,000 individual sound effects to enliven the thrill of racing and succeeded flawlessly.

Did you know that “DOM’S” CAR also appeared in another CAR related franchise?

During the junkyard sequence in the 2005 film “HERBIE: FULLY LOADED”, a battered version of Dom’s famous Dodge Charger appears in the background.

[DIESEL and “DOM’S” CHARGER.]

[“DOM’S” CAR in “HERBIE: FULLY LOADED”.]

Do you know which scenes are DIRECTOR ROB COHEN’S least favorite?

The POLICE procedural scenes are COHEN’S least favorite because they take away from the action. They only serve the purpose they are needed for which is to further the plot. Not that he though they were done poorly, COHEN had experience with police procedurals, DIRECTING episodes of “MIAMI VICE” [1984-89], “PRIVATE EYE” [1987-88], and “HOOPERMAN” [1987-89].

Did you know that a new piece of film equipment was created for this movie?

SECOND UNIT DIRECTOR and STUNT COORDINATOR MIC ROGERS invented a new piece of equipment for filming the CAR scenes, affectionately titled “THE MIC RIG”. It is basically a VAN with an extended chassis that an on film CAR can sit in allowing the ACTOR to act and the STUNT DRIVER to drive. This keeps the ACTOR safe but gives the appearance of actual driving and more realism.

[THE MIC RIG filming WALKER in his CAR!]

[ROGERS]

“2 FAST 2 FURIOUS” [2003]:

Do you know why diesel turned down the chance to be in the second movie?

DIESEL told IGN he turned down a huge payday in “2 FAST” to work on 2004's “THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK,” a sequel to his original 2000 film, “PITCH BLACK.” “I remember turning down “2 FAST 2 FURIOUS” and a whole lot of money,” DIESEL said. “Instead of doing that movie for the year, I took a WGA WRITERS’ polish deal for “CHRONICLES” for $50,000.” “It was so obvious to everyone around me — even my agents and managers — that I really cared about this property because $20 million to $50,000 is not really the right way to be thinking about your estate planning,” he added. ““PITCH BLACK” is one of the best experiences I've ever had making a movie." In other interviews, it was reported that DIESEL turned down $25 million. DIESEL told THE LOS ANGELES TIMES he wasn't happy with the script he read for “2 FAST.” “I always get afraid of being pigeonholed," DIESEL said. “The real reason why I didn't return to the characters is the scripts hadn't been right. The characters haven't been right. It's not like I ever said I wouldn't be there.”

Did you know that Ja RULE was originally going to be in the sequel?

Ja RULE [born JEFFREY BRUCE ATKINS] was originally in the first movie, playing “EDWIN” a character who competed in the first race. It was planned for him to return in the sequel with a bigger role, given that his music career had blown up at this point and he was a much bigger star than when the first movie came out. However, he refused the role. Here are a couple couple of reasons that led to him getting RECAST:

1- Ja RULE turned down a $500,000 role in “2 FAST 2 FURIOUS” because a conflicting music tour offered him $12 to $14 million, making the movie paycheck look too small.

2- DIRECTOR JOHN SINGLETON [JAN. 6, 1968 – APRIL 28, 2019] tried to call Ja RULE multiple times about the script but the rapper did not return the phone calls.

3- Because of that, SINGLETON felt that Ja RULE acted like he was too big for the movie.

That led SINGLETON to repeat what COHEN did with the original movie and find a younger up-and-coming RAPPER. It worked out for the best, as LUDACRIS [born CHRISTOPHER BRIAN BRIDGES] has great chemistry with the rest of the CAST, and it’d be hard to imagine the series without him. And if LUDACRIS wasn’t CAST, fans wouldn’t have “ACT A FOOL,” which is one of the best “FAST & FURIOUS” songs.

On a happier note, SINGLETON and Ja RULE later met at an awards show and joked about it, and Ja RULE apologized.

[Ja RULE]

[SINGLETON]

[LUDACRIS]

Did you know that not all of the CARS made it into the movie?

Filmmakers planned to include a replica of SHELBY COBRA in “2 FAST 2 FURIOUS”, however, the car didn't make it in the movie. The COBRA replicas built for the second “FAST” film were instead used in the movie “CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE” [2003].

[A SHELBY COBRA REPLICA]

[The SHELBY in “CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE” with some of the film’s STARS! Sorry for the image being so blurry!]