Fast and furious is a media franchise whose film storylines are based on illegal street racing, spies, heists, and family. They are entertaining movies to watch. But to follow, one has to watch fast and furious movies in chronological order.
The franchise isn’t short on the back story either, as it consists of facts that many are unaware of. Below are some of them
The Film is Based on an article
Racer X is the title of an article written by Ken Li. It was related to street racing in the USA, New York. It was around a street racer named Rafael Estevez, who perfected drag racing.
The producers loved the idea in the article and optioned it for a movie adaptation. Li, after receiving the call he couldn’t believe it as he thought someone was pranking him. But it wasn’t a prank, for his article was key in making the Fast and the Furious.
Drivers who didn’t have a driving License
According to stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster didn’t have driving licenses before being in the first film. However, Brewster also did confirm in an interview with the Insider as she said she couldn’t drive.
In 2013, she said she would take a taxi or a bus to go anywhere she wanted because she didn’t own a driving license.
She had to pass the driving test, or else she could have missed her role in the movie.
Tommy Lee Jones was in line to play as Hobbs
Men in Black star Tommy Lee Jones was in line for the Hobbs role. Vin Diesel was expecting Tommy to be in the cast, as he already approved his introduction. The role would have suited Tommy, for it was similar to the one he played in the Fugitive as Samuel Gerard in a 1993 film.
But Vin always liked to listen to his fans’ suggestions, and they suggested the role would fit former wrestler Dwayne Johnson. Vin Diesel liked an idea that forced them to rewrite the part to suit that of Dwayne Johnson. And Dwayne took the effort personally as he asked to join the cast himself.
Paul Walker was not the first choice to play Brian O’Connor
Many actors were available and shortlisted to play as Brian O’ Connor in the Fast & Furious movie series. They all happened to be big names including Eminem after his star role in the movie 8mile, Christian Bale a few years before he accepted the Batman role.
Ja Rule could have played Tej Parker
Director John Singleton was considering bringing back Ja Rule’s Edwin character. A character that Ja Rule played in the 2 Fast 2 Furious movie in 2003.
But it didn’t go as planned, for Ja Rule declined the offer to focus on other movie roles. So, the role for Tej Parker was taken by Ludacris, who remained in the franchise up to this day.
Before the 6th movie, Brian and Letty never spoke to each other
Despite being of the same crew, Brian and Letty didn’t have a lot of conversation between them. After six movies, the first two had a chat when Letty was presumed deceased then came back to life.
In the first movie, these two didn’t talk. Letty didn’t return in the second film, and also in the third one. She did appear in the 4th one, but she was considered dead early on and didn’t appear in the 5th film. On Fast & Furious 6, everyone finds out she wasn’t dead, and the first time Brian and Letty decide to chat.
Gal Gadot was to appear in Fast 7
Gal Gadot played Gisele, a Fast and Furious crew member before she went on to play a role as Wonder Woman. Her role ended in Fast and Furious 6, but she did appear in Fast and Furious 7.
She appeared in Letty’s flashback as she was trying to recover her memory. The scene shows how Gisele helped Letty as she took her to the hospital when she was almost about to die.
Dwayne Johnson watches a clip of himself playing football
While in the hospital recovering, Hobbs was watching a college Football game. As a player, Dwayne Johnson used to wear shirt number 94. The Team playing was the University of Miami, where he used to play football. You can tell from the footage that on the screen was Dwayne Johnson back wearing the number 94.
Previous films were edited to Complete Paul Walker’s role
After his tragic death, Paul Walker’s scenes in the Fast and Furious movie series were edited by directors to give the character Brian O’Connor a proper send-off. However, some of the parts got completed by his two brothers Caleb and Cody.
Conclusion
The facts mentioned above make the movies even more enjoyable. If you missed any of the movies, feel free to preview, for you will enjoy some of the best moments.
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