Fast and Furious
Fast & Furious (originally The Fast and the Furious) is an American media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with illegal street racing, heists and spies. The franchise also includes short films, a television series, live shows, video games and theme park attractions. It is distributed by Universal Pictures.
The first film was released in 2001, which began the original trilogy of films focused on racing, and culminated in the standalone film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). The series then went under a soft reboot with Fast & Furious (2009), which transitioned the series toward heists and spying, and was followed by four sequels. Two additional films are scheluded to be released in 2020 and 2021. The main films are collectively known as "The Fast Saga".
Universal expanded the series to include the spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw (2019), while its subsidiary DreamWorks Animation followed this with the animated web television series Fast & Furious Spy Racers. Soundtrack albums have been released for all the films, as well as compilation albums containing existing music heard in the films. Two short films that tie into the series have also been released.
The series has been commercially successful and is Universal's biggest franchise, as of 2015 ranking as the ninth-highest-grossing film series of all time with a combined gross of over $5 billion.[1] Critical reception was mostly mixed to negative for the first four films, while later films in the series were more positively received. Outside of the films, The Fast Saga has been the focus of other media, including attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, live shows, commercials, many video games and toys. It is also considered the vehicle that propelled lead actors Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to stardom
The short films were either released direct-to-video or saw limited theatrical distribution by Universal. They were mostly included as special features for The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Fast & Furious (2009), as part of the DVD releases. The films, which range from 10 to 20 minutes, are designed to be self-contained stories that provide backstory for characters or events introduced in the films. It is also designed to bridge the chronological gap that was created as the initial leads departed the series.
The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) sees Paul Walker reprise his role as Brian O'Conner, and details his escape from Los Angeles and avoidance of law enforcement, which culminates in his eventual arrival to Miami. Los Bandoleros (2009) sees Vin Diesel reprise his role as Dominic Toretto, who is living as a wanted fugitive in the Dominican Republic. He eventually reunites with Letty and other associates to plan the hijacking of a gasoline shipment to help an impoverished neighborhood.
In early 2000, actor Paul Walker had wrapped up filming on The Skulls with director Rob Cohen. Cohen secured a deal with producer Neal H. Moritz for an untitled action film for Universal Pictures,[8] and approached Walker for his idea of a dream action movie, with the actor suggesting a mash-up of the films Days of Thunder (1990) and Donnie Brasco (1997).[8] Soon thereafter, Cohen and Moritz brought him a Vibe magazine article published in May 1998, which detailed an undercover street racing circuit operating in New York City, and suggested a story that was to be a re-imagined version of the film Point Break (1991), but set to follow Walker as an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating the world of underground street racing in Los Angeles.[8] Upon hearing this, Walker signed on immediately; finding his co-star proved more difficult. The studio warmed toward the idea of Timothy Olyphant in the role of Dominic Toretto, due to the success of the blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), but he declined. Moritz instead persisted on Vin Diesel following his performance in Pitch Black (2000), with Diesel accepting after proposing several script changes. Upon release in June 2001, the film shattered box office and critical expectations, and a 2002 sequel was green-lit by September.[9][10]
However, Diesel declined to return for the sequel, saying that the screenplay was inferior to its predecessor. Cohen also declined the sequel, opting to develop the film xXx (2002), which starred Diesel in the lead role. To account for these changes, Universal commissioned the writers to create a standalone sequel with Walker in the lead, and brought in John Singleton as the new director. As a result, filming was delayed by a year, and Tyrese Gibson, who worked with Singleton on the film Baby Boy (2001), was hired as Walker's new co-star. Furthermore, the production location shifted to Miami, and was also the first entry in the series to feature long-running castmate Ludacris.[8]
Universal attempted to bring back Diesel for the third installment, but he again declined due to other projects and a dislike for the script.[11] As a result of failing to secure the returns of any of the original cast, Universal ordered a reboot of the franchise. Screenwriter Chris Morgan subsequently attempted to revive the series primarily for car enthusiasts, with new characters, focusing on a car-related subculture, and moving the series to Tokyo; the city is considered the birthplace of Asiatic cars. It is also the first film in the series to start its tradition of filming in exotic locations.[12][13] Moritz returned and hired director Justin Lin, having been impressed with Lin's work for the film Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), which shared similar elements with Tokyo Drift. Moreover, the series were able to bring Diesel in for a cameo appearance, in exchange for letting the actor's production company acquire the rights to the Riddick character.[14][15] The third movie was the least financially successful of the franchise, received lukewarm reception, and left the future of the franchise in limbo.[16]
Away from the franchise, Diesel had made a string of box office or critical flops, including The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), The Pacifier (2005), and Find Me Guilty (2006). After discussions with Universal, the pair shared an interest in reviving the series.[16] After signing Diesel and confirming the return of Lin, Universal worked to track the first film's original co-stars, and re-signed Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster in mid-2008.[16] Walker was initially reluctant to rejoin the franchise after six years, but Diesel assured him that film would be considered the first "true" sequel.[8] Morgan returned to write after the critical praise for the character Han Lue. Given the death of the character in the third movie, the entire timeline of the franchise was altered to account for his appearance.[11] Considered a soft reboot as emphasis on car culture was toned down, the fourth movie, Fast & Furious, was a unilateral commercial success. Although critical reception was mixed, it reinvigorated the franchise, as well as the star power of Diesel and Walker.
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