The year was 2001. I sat in a darkened movie theater in a row full of rowdy teens (myself included) and watched as a crew of scrappy street racers stole DVD players out of trucks and lived life a quarter mile at a time.
Cut to 20 years later. I thought back to that movie and, feeling a bit stir-crazy due to the pandemic, decided to rewatch it along with the many sequels I’d never seen. What better way to kill time than to watch a multi-film franchise?
Color me surprised when, a few films in, the street racers started transforming into an elite task force regularly tapped by the government to save the world. The stunts were outrageous in the best way possible, with the plot lines bordering on psychotic. I was hooked.
After seeing all 10 films (and anxiously awaiting next year's final installment), I felt like I knew the Fast & Furious cinematic universe pretty well.
But did you know ...
1. The first installment almost got some real Detroit muscle.
Can you imagine Vin Diesel teaming up with Slim Shady? It almost happened, but Eminem turned down the role of undercover LAPD officer Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious. The famous Detroit rapper was busy with the development of his own film, 8 Mile, at the time.
Coincidentally, Eminem was later offered the song “See You Again” for Furious 7, but turned it down. Wiz Khalifa ultimately recorded the “See You Again” track with Charlie Puth, which tied Eminem's "Lose Yourself" for the second longest-running number-one rap single in the U.S.
2. It’s a vibe.
The world of NYC street racing was profiled in “Racer X,” an article by Kenneth Li in the May 1998 issues of Vibe. The story captivated director Rob Cohen, who used it as inspiration for the first film in the F&F franchise. There’s even a bonus feature about it on the 2002 DVD release for The Fast and the Furious. Rafael Estevez, a Dominican street racer featured prominently in the article, might even be seen as a prototype for Dom Toretto.
3. Before they stole DVD players, they stole a name.
The name that spawned a franchise didn’t start with the 2001 film. Producer Neal Moritz was inspired by The Fast and the Furious, a 1954 B movie written by Roger Corman. The story follows a trucker who breaks out of jail after being framed for murder, then enters a cross-border sports car race to try to reach Mexico before the cops can nab him (sounds like a possible F&F movie plot, tbh).
Universal Pictures ended up trading the use of some stock footage to license the name of the film. Other proposed titles for the first Fast & Furious film included “Race Wars,” “Racer X,” “Red Line,” and “Street Wars.”
4. The Love Bug meets street racing
Does Dom Toretto exist in the same universe as a sentient VW Bug? Eagle-eyed fans think so after spotting Dom’s 1970 Dodge Charger from the first F&F movie in 2005’s Herbie: Fully Loaded. Lindsay Lohan’s character briefly checks out the car (which has the number 86 on it) in a junkyard, but ultimately opts for the anthropomorphic Volkswagen. With the Love Bug franchise extending all the way back to 1968, just think of the crossover possibilities!
5. Ma’am, can I see your driver’s license?
Racing at top speeds requires a few things: control, focus, and ... oh yeah, a driver’s license. But Michelle Rodriguez (Letty) and Jordana Brewster (Mia) didn’t have theirs before being cast in The Fast and the Furious, so they had to scramble to get licenses in time for filming.
6. The right way to watch the F&F movies
Although it was the third film released in the F&F franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift isn't the third chronologically. In the timeline of the films, the events in Tokyo Drift take place between Fast & Furious and Furious 7. A big hint to this jumbled timeline is dropped in the final scene of Tokyo Drift when Vin Diesel makes a cameo appearance as Dom Toretto.
7. Han’s shady past
Fan-favorite character Han Lue didn’t debut in Tokyo Drift, although that was his first F&F franchise appearance. Actor Sung Kang had already appeared as Han in a 2002 indie crime drama called Better Luck Tomorrow. Director Justin Lin decided to bring Han into the F&F franchise and use Better Luck Tomorrow as Han’s origin story.
You know how Han’s always munching on snacks in the F&F films? It’s actually a replacement for chain smoking, a character trait from Better Luck Tomorrow that Universal Pictures didn’t allow for its movie leads.
8. Ja Rule was only the beginning.
Rappers and singers have been making cameos in F&F since the first film, cementing the franchise as a staple of 21st century pop culture. Here are some of the famous faces who show up on screen:
Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious)
Ludacris (Debuted in 2 Fast 2 Furious and became a key character)
MC Jin (2 Fast 2 Furious)
Bow Wow (Tokyo Drift)
Don Omar and Tego Calderon (Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and The Fate of the Furious)
Rita Ora (Fast & Furious 6)
Iggy Azalea and T-Pain (Furious 7)
Bad Bunny and Cardi B (F9)
Josh Dun (Fast X)
9. It’s raining cars!
One of the wildest stunts in the F&F franchise involves several key characters skydiving — while in their cars. But instead of relying on CGI, the F&F filmmakers decided to strap parachutes onto the cars and actually drop them out of a cargo plane (without the drivers inside, of course). Skydivers filmed them as they dropped, and GPS was used to help them land safely.
While the crew went the extra mile to make this scene as realistic as possible, that’s not the case with every stunt. In case you were wondering, no — they didn’t really shoot Ludacris and Tyrese into space in a car.
10. Keeping it in the family
Paul Walker’s tragic death on November 30, 2013 happened in the midst of filming Furious 7. In order to give the beloved character of Brian O’Conner a fitting sendoff, two of Walker’s brothers — Caleb and Cody — served as stand-ins for some key scenes.
Around 350 shots were created through VFX: most with the brothers’ faces replaced with CGI, and some with outtakes or old footage. Meanwhile, sound editors used existing recordings to create Paul’s dialogue, and the script was rewritten to explain Brian’s absence from future sequels. Furious 7 went on to become the most successful film in the franchise, grossing over $1.5 billion worldwide.
As Dom always says, nothing is more important than family. Forward this to your brother from another mother, then grab a Corona at the cookout.
Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick