17 curiosities about the saga of Fast and Furious

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No one, but no one, could imagine that that little movie called ‘The Fast and the Furious’, produced in 2001, would become this great franchise. Ten films later, the films have grossed over $6.6 billion worldwide in theaters alone. With the debut of ‘Fast & Furious 10’ this week (see review here), that number is expected to grow by at least $1 billion. And a sequel is already slated to premiere in 2025 (warning 10 ends with a bunch of cliffhangers). Not to mention that Vin Diesel has been saying that this so-called end of the saga could become a trilogy. In other words, one of the great franchises in the history of cinema. See some fun facts below.

The first ‘Fast and furious’

The role of Dominic Toretto was supposed to go to Timothy Olyphant. But, he refused claiming that the plot of the first film was too similar to ’60 seconds‘, with Nicolas Cage, which had been released a year earlier.
Paul Walker was the first actor to be hired.
The role of Mia Toretto was written for Eliza Dushku, but she turned it down (imagine her regret). Several famous actresses then auditioned. Check out the list: Natalie Portman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kirsten Dunst, Bijou Phillips and Jessica Biel. Until Jordana Brewster was chosen.
Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez dated in real life while filming the first movie.

+ Fast + Furious

Vin Diesel does not appear in the second film. He said he turned down $25 million because he didn’t like the script, and also because it was in the works. ‘Triple X’. Therefore, the plot focuses on another case that Brian has to help solve.

The middle movies – Fast 3, 4, 5 and 6

‘Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift’ is the only film in the saga not to have Paul Walker (before his death). The studio thought he was too old for the role(!!).
Everyone came back in ‘Fast & Furious 4’. And it was also Gal Gadot’s film debut.
Filmed in Rio, the premiere of ‘Fast and Furious 5: Operation Rio’ also took place in the city, with the presence of the entire cast. What happens in the film turns out to be a great reference to the events of ‘Fast and Furious 10’.
The role of Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, was originally for Tommy Lee Jones.
‘Fast & Furious 6’ was Michelle Rodriguez’s return to the franchise. It was also the first for Jason Statham, who only appears in the post-credits scene.

The best – Fast and furious 7

‘Fast & Furious 7’ is, to date, the highest-grossing of the franchise. It is also, in my opinion, the best film.
Paul Walker died in a car accident during filming. He had already filmed half of his scenes. In the end, they ended up using unused footage of him in other films. And also Paul’s brothers were also used as stunt doubles, and Paul’s face was digitally added afterwards. The film is dedicated to him.

Fast 8, 9 and 10

It was during the filming of ‘Fast and Furious 8’ that there was the famous feud between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. And besides, it was in this film that Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren, two Oscar winners, joined the saga.
‘Fast & Furious 8’ was also the first American movie to shoot in Cuba since the 1950s.
Lucas Black, the star of ‘Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift’ returns in ‘Fast 9’, after a brief appearance in Movie 7.
Director Justin Lin left ‘Fast & Furious 10’ a week after filming began due to feuds with Vin Diesel. Louis Leterrier took over the chair, and will return for the 11th film. In fact, there wasn’t even a director on the fight scene between Charlize Theron and Michelle Rodriguez.
‘Fast 10’ has four Oscar winners in the cast: Rita Moreno, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Brie Larson.

where to watch

‘Fast & Furious 10’ is in theaters now 9 is on Star+. The others are on Globoplay. There is also an animated series, which is based on the saga, called ‘Fast and Furious: Asphalt Spies’. It has five seasons available on Netflix.