Things You Never Knew About The Fast And Furious Films

1. Universal wanted Timothy Olyphant originally to play Dominic Toretto ....

First choice to play Dominic Toretto was Timothy Olyphant and they were desperate to cast him.  When he declined, doubts creptImage source Universal Picturesinto the writers' and producer's minds as they didn't think anyone else could come up to Timothy's charisma but they need not have worried! Original content sourced from Femanin.com

2. The first film in the franchise was supposed to be called 'Redline' ....

Before the name 'Fast and Furious' was decided upon, it was called 'Redline', being pitched as a film about street racing.Image source Getty ImagesOther titles in the running were 'Race Wars', 'Street Wars' and 'Racer X', according to Jordana Brewster who played Mia Toretto.

3. The film is based on a 1998 magazine article called Racer X ....

The Fast and the Furious was inspired by Kenneth Li's 1998 article in Vibe which was entitled 'Racer X' which was about Rafael Estevez,Image source Pocket-linta Dominican street racer who started drag racing. Li told Entertainment Weekly that he thought the call from universal was a prank!

4. Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez didn't even have drivers' licenses before the first film!

On the 2001 film's special features, the stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers had an issue in that neither Brewster nor RodriguezImage source Getty Imagescould drive so they both had to take a crash course (!) so they could get their driving license. Jordana Brewster used to take the subway.

5. Minka Kelly is uncredited in the 'Fast' family ....

You may have seen all of the 'Fast and Furious' films but did you know there are also two additional short films in the franchise.Image source Universal PicturesIn one of them, Kelly appears in a bonus feature named 'The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious,' included on the home release.

6. Vin Diesel directed short film for the franchise, 'Los Bandoleros' .... where Letty and Dom get married ....

This 20 minute prologue feels like two small episodes! The first half shows Dom hiding out with family in the Dominican Republic.Image source Getty ImagesHan (Sung Kang) from 'Tokyo Drift', arrives and sees that he's never been to Japan at that point. Han had always said he met Dom in Mexico.

7. Vin Diesel turned down over $20 million for '2 Fast 2 Furious' ....

Vin Diesel TURNED DOWN a massive fee for '2 Fast' so he could work on the sequel of his original film 'Pitch Black' which was calledImage source Universal Pictures'The Chronicles of Riddick'.  His agents and managers said he was mad not to do it especially as he received $50,000 for 'Chronicles'.

8. Chrissy Teigen's brief appearance in 'Tokyo Drift' you probably missed ....

In April 2020, Chrissy Teigen shared on Twitter that she had a cameo albeit tiny. in 'Tokyo Drift.'  De reported that she was pickedImage source Getty Imagesout of a crowd in Los Angeles, California, to be a girl getting out of a car.  She tweeted, 'My boobs are in fast and the furious Tokyo drift'.

9. Ja Rule turned down $500,000 for lead role in '2 Fast 2 Furious' ....

'2 Fast 2 Furious' director, John Singleton was reported to have said that Ja Rule 'got too big for himself', turning down the roleImage source Universal Pictures'right after Vin Diesel also refused to be in the sequel. As a result, Ludacris was approached, a humble actor who was delighted to accept.

10. Franchise nearly went straight to DVD after 'Tokyo Drift' .... until idea from screenwriter Chris Morgan ....

Apparently, the franchise stalled creatively after the second film in the series, '2Fast 2 Furious.'  Co President, Jeffrey KirschenbaumImage source Getty Imagessaid they were weighing up whether to go straight to home movies for any future sequels. Getting Vin Diesel back on board...

11. Alternative ending to the first film with Brian and Mia that Brewster didn't remember ....

A two minute alternative ending to the 2001 film appears as a bonus feature on the home release's extras. In the scene, Brian quitsImage source Universal Picturesas a cop and gets dropped off at the Toretto household by his former boss in order to patch things up with Mia.

12. Vin Diesel only appeared in 'Tokyo Drift' for the rights to his 'Riddick' franchise ....

Diesel wasn't paid for 'Tokyo Drift'.  Instead he plumped for the rights to his 'Riddick' franchise.  After the public's responseImage source Getty Imagesto Diesel's cameo, which was amazing, the studio agreed to hand over a substantial amount of the creative control to the actor.

13. Director Justin Lin's son shows up in 'Fast Five' and 'Fast 6' ....

Oqwe Lin played the kid on the bus who was looking at the bank heist in Rio, right at the end of 'Fast Five.'  He can alsoImage source Getty Imagesbe spotted on the bus in London where he watches Dom ad Letty race by.  These things happen when your dad is the director!

14. The Rock was Lin's first choice to play Luke Hobbs ....

The Rock was the first choice and they weren't sure if they were able to get him.  It was thought that The Rock and Vin DieselImage source Universal Picturestogether would make a great movie! Lin remarked that it was like seeing Stallone and Schwarzenegger together in the eighties.

15. Chris Hemsworth stayed around set of 2011's 'Fast Five' .... because his wife, Elsa Pataky, played Elena ....

Pataky and Hemsworth have been married for 12 years and have three children together. During shooting of the movie,Image source Universal PicturesChris often hung around the set, very proud of his other half.  It was a big thing for the crew as he was starring in 'Thor'.

16. Before death of Paul Walker, original ending to 'Furious 7' would have been on happier note ....

Production on 'Furious 7' was shut down after Paul Walker's death in 2013.  When they returned, the entire third act hadImage source Universal Picturesto be re-written, a very sad time. Screen writer, Chris Morgan, changed the concept to show what really matters in life.

17. It was Charlize Theron's idea for dreadlocks in 'The Fate of the Furious' ....

'Fate' director F. Gary Gray said said that Theron 'had some thoughts about how she wanted to shape her character.'  She mentionedImage source Getty Imagesabout trying dreads and they weren't sure at first but once the stylist got to work on them, everyone agreed it was a great decision.

18. Lin's son helped come up with idea for  'magnet plane' in 'F9' ....

Justin Lin says his 9 year-old son Oqwe figured out the 'magnet car' stunt in the trailer for 'F9'. Lin was at a meeting and OqweImage source Getty Imageswas playing with his toy cars when he got an idea. Lin told Empire, 'Oqwe just picked it up and pitched the idea of the plane...'

19. Vin Diesel convinced Justin Lin to return for the final 'Fast' trilogy ....

Lin, who previously directed 4 films in the franchise, didn't plan on coming back after 2013's 'Fast 6' but when he heard the ideaImage source Universal Picturesfor 'F9,' he was back up for it  and said Diesel wouldn't let him go! Lin said once he signed on for 'F9,' Diesel wouldn't let him go.

20. They considered splitting 'Fast 6' into two movies ... 'The Fast' and 'The Furious' ....

According to director Justin Lin's original plan, the final two films in the franchise were to be named 'the Fast' and The Furious'.Image source Getty ImagesThe sequence with the plane and the giant never ending runway was considered for the end of 'Fast 5'.  Luckily that was not the case.

21. Tommy Lee Jones was in final line up to play Hobbs ....

Vin Diesel had really wanted Tommy Lee Jones to play Dom's government adversary, Hobbs in 'Fast 5'.  It was initially a roleImage source Twittersimilar to the one he played in 'The Fugitive'.  However, Dwaine Johnson was brought in which was a massive deal.

22. David Tennant could have been a baddie ...

According to mythical legend, Dom and his crew could have faced off against a different bunch of British bad guys in 'Fast and Furious 6'.Image sourceDoctor Who actor, David Tennant, was wanted for the part of villain Owen Shaw. It went to Welshman Luke Evans in the end.

23.Dwayne Johnson's ribbing of Tyrese Gibson was real ...

Towards the end of the sixth movie, Hobbs arrives at Dom's barbeque and is quick to mock Tyrese Gibson's, Roman's shinyImage source Redditforehead. Not only was it a great line but Dwaine ad-libbed - luckily Tyrese managed not to corpse himself (start laughing).

24. The Rock watches himself play football while in hospital ...

Hobbs is recovering in hospital and can be seen watching a college football game in 'Furious 7'.  The game featured the UniversityImage source Universal Picturesof Miami and the reference by the commentator of 'number 94' was actually footage of Dwayne Johnson from when he played college football.

25. Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) was meant to appear in 'Furious 7' ....

Gal Gadot was best known for playing crew member Gisele in the 'Fast and Furious' movies before she was 'Wonder Woman'.Image source Harper's BazaarHer character died in the 6th movie although she did film a scene for '7'. This was a flashback sequence where Letty tried to piece things together.

26. The first film featured its share of racing inaccuracies!

The first street race scene is supposed to be a quarter mile race, taking about 10 seconds. However, the race takes almost twoImage source Universal Picturesminutes of screen time and shows the vehicles driving over 150 mph which is even faster than a 1,200 hp Bugatti Veyron!

27. The iconic Jetta in the first film was bought by famous child star ....

The Volkswagen Jetta supercar that Jesse drives in the movie was later purchased by Frankie Muniz although he sold itImage source Universal Picturesin 2015 for an undisclosed amount His interest in the vehicle was obvious as he became a professional driver and street racing enthusiast.

28. Vin Diesel gave his character's red Chevelle to his daughter ....

Vin Diesel's character, Dominic Toretto, is seen at the end of Fast and Furious driving off in a red 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS454 Coupe.Image source Universal PicturesWhen the character returns in the 2009 film, the vehicle re-appears. Diesel told MT News that he had given the car to his daughter.

29. Fast and Furious 6 - No Words ....

The characters Letty (Rodriguez) and Brian (Walker) don’t actually speak directly to each other until near the end of the film inImage source Quora'Fast and Furious 6'. Letty says, 'I may not remember anything, but I do know one thing. Nobody makes me do anything I don’t want.'

30. First Film - director got crew painting!

The first film’s director Rob Cohen got his crew busy before filming by having them re-paint the houses in Echo Park whereImage source Universal Picturesthe Toretto house was located.  It was thought that by having dull backdrops, the brightness of the cars could be the main focus.

31. The Franchise Is The 6th Highest Grossest Of All Time

The entire franchise so far has made over 5 billion dollars, and ranks as the sixth-highest grossing film series of all time!Image Source / Arise NewsWhen you consider the fact that it's not far behind other iconic franchises like Marvel, it's done quite well for itself, to say the least!

32. All The Films Fit Together In A Weird Way

To get the best out of this huge franchise, you shouldn't actually watch the films in release order. There's an internal trilogyImage Source / Pocket-lintwithin the whole thing, a few shorts and a very confusing order. The best way to watch is: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, Hobbs and Shaw then 9!

33. The West Side Story Comparison

West Side Story reveals the Romeo and Juliet tale of two people involved in street gangs, and the Fast and Furious franchiseImage Source / TCMwas apparently pitched with this in mind - described as being like West Side Story, but "with cars instead of singing".

34. The Car Chase From The First Movie Was Inspired By Bullitt

The car chase in the 1968 movie Bullitt is a classic example of cinema, and the car chase from the first film (the oneImage Source / DrivingLinethat appears near the end) was actually inspired by the Bullitt sequence, according to direct Rob Cohen.

35. And Speaking Of Bullitt... It Was One Of The Reasons Paul Walker Was Cast

The legendary star of the movie Bullitt was Steve McQueen, and apparently Paul Walker was cast by director Rob CohenImage Source / ABC Newsbecause he thought he looked like the blonde movie star! McQueen was a cinema legend known as the King of Cool.

36. But It Also Has A Connection To Another Movie: Point Break

Point Break is another legendary piece of cinema, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. The Fast and the Furious hasImage Source / Wikipediabeen compared to this movie due to a couple of similarities, including the fact that both movies have scenes shot in a restaurant.

37. Extras Were Brought In From Real Illegal Street Races

Ever the authentic director, Rob Cohen would go to real life illegal street races in order to find accurate portrayals for the firstImage Source / The Guardianfilm in the franchise. He also had over 200 racing cars driven by actual real-life street racers participate in the movie's racing.

38. 2 Fast 2 Furious Had A Backup Script

For 2 Fast 2 Furious, there was some uncertainty about whether the first film's star Vin Diesel would return. For this reason,Image Source / Empire Onlinetwo completely different scripts - one with Dom and one without - were commissioned in case the actor decided not to return.

39. Paul Walker Used His Own Car For One Of The Films

During the time of filming the franchise, Paul Walker was a car enthusiast in real life, too. So much so that the Skyline GT-RImage Source / The Fast and the Furious Wiki - Fandomwhich appeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious was actually Walker's own car. He would also help pick and choose other cars for the film.

40. The Drift Racing In Tokyo Drift Was Real

Drift racing became highly popular in Japan, so it's no surprise that some drifting shown in a movie set there would actually be real.Image Source / IMDbStunt racers actually performed the drift racing from the movie, which means it was a highly risky sequence to film!

41. Tokyo Does Not Allow For Filming Permits - But The Movie Was Shot In Tokyo Anyway

Tokyo doesn't grant filming permits, so with the choice being made that Tokyo Drift would be shot on location came a lot ofImage Source / www.asahi.comtrouble. Footage of Lucas Black walking in public had to be done sneakily, and there were occasions where the police got involved!

42. There Was A Cameo From A Real-Life 'Drift King'

The Drift King in Tokyo Drift is played by actor Brian Tee, and not a real-life drift expert. But that doesn't mean there wasn'tImage Source / World Time Attackone in the movie - real life drift king Keiichi Tsuchiya, who is a racing legend in Japan, made a cameo in the film as the fisherman.

43. Tokyo Drift Went Through Approximately 2,000 Tires

The drifting sequences in Tokyo Drift required cars to be converted to rear-wheel drive to get the drift they wanted, includingImage Source / Entertainment Weeklythe Mitsubishi Lancer EVO III. Around 4,000 tires were donated, even though production only ended up using half of that.

44. An Entire Train Plus Train Tracks Was Purchased For Fast Five

In Fast Five, you may remember a certain train sequence - well, production actually bought the train tracks, located inImage Source / AutoEvolutionArizona and amounting to around 600 years, as well as a whole train so that they could destroy it for the movie. That scene cost $25 million!

45. The Franchise Was Shifted To A 'Heist' Focus - For Good Reason

With a franchise first focused on street racing and flash cars, it's no surprise you might hit a brick wall after a few movies -Image Source / The Fast and the Furious Wiki - Fandomafter all, you can't keep making the same movie over and over again about cars racing. So the director decided to switch direction.

46. Michelle Rodriquez Didn't Know Letty Survived

For Fast Five, some key plot details were kept secret - including the fate of Letty. Even the actress herself, Michelle Rodriquez,Image Source / WhatCulture.comdidn't know that Letty had survived the previous film - and she only found out when she saw the post-credit scene.

47. The Runway Scene In Fast & Furious 6 Had Many People Scratching Their Heads

Not in a bad way, just from pure awe and a need to work out how much runway you'd even need for so much action to be possible.Image Source / FXGuideIt was calculated that around 28.8 miles of runway would be needed, when the longest in the world is only 3.4 miles!

48. 300 Stunt Cars Were Used For Fast & Furious 6

It's no surprise that a movie franchise about street racing and heist cars would go through A LOT of stunt vehicles. Fast & Furious 6Image Source / Roger Ebertalone went through 300 stunt cars during the movie's filming, and there were also two working tanks that were used!

49. The Fast And The Furious Franchise And Herbie Fully-Loaded Exist In The Same Universe

Technically these two major car movies exist in the same cinematic universe, and in the junkyard shown in the Disney movie withImage Source / WhatCulture.comLindsay Lohan, you can actually see Dom Toretto's 1970 black Dodge charger. It was trashed and ended up in the junkyard in Herbie!

50. The Han Solo Easter Egg

Star Wars and Fast and Furious fans unite, because there's a Han Solo Easter egg you may not have known about! The characterImage Source / Wikipediaof Han in FaF doesn't mention his surname until we see it on a computer screen in Fast Five. And what's his last name? Seoul-Oh.

Here are things you didn't know about the James Bond films - Quantum of Solace - and pain .....

While filming 'Quantum of Solace' Daniel Craig was not permitted a break. When a stunt he undertook saw him lose the tip of a finger,Image source Macleans.caneed 4 stitches in his face and have 6 screws surgically inserted into his shoulder, he had to get back in front of the camera!

2. Cary Grant had doubts ....

Some of the most famous names up for Bond didn't make the cut although Cary Grant, the Hollywood icon, was offered the lead.Image source WikipediaIan Fleming was desperate for him to accept but the actor turned the role down as it thought he'd be too old to pull it off.

3. The scariest of  Bond girls ....pow!

Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin is one of the most beloved Bond girls in the franchise’s history and that is for a reason.  She was suchImage source Film Fana skilled martial arts fighter that the film crew for 'Tomorrow Never Dies' had to call in Jackie Chan’s stunt team to be her sparring partners.

4. From Russia with so much more love ....

The actor who played Bond’s ally, Kerim Bey, played by Pedro Armendariz, was actually dying while shooting the movie.Image source RedditAs he became weaker, Terence Young had to step in and act as his body double. Barely a month after, Armendariz committed suicide.

5. Holocaust reminder for Gert Frobe

In 'Goldfinger', the villain is supposed to use nerve gas to murder anyone who witnesses his crimes. Gert Frobe, who played the character,Image source flickr.comdetested this part of the movie as he had been part of the Nazi party, when he was younger, working in the concentration camps  (and protected Jews).

6. 007 caught unaware .....

Poor Sean Connery was hounded by the press relentlessly during his time as Bond.  He was followed everywhere he went despiteImage source The Ringerseveral disguises and was totally horrified when  a Japanese newspaper published a photo of the Scottish actor using the toilet!

7. Too old for romance ....

Roger Moore’s final goodbye as Bond didn't exactly go down in history as a favourite of the fans.  Moore admitted that he shouldn'tImage source The Guardianhave made that last movie at the age of 57.  He learned that his love interest in the film had a mother who was younger than Bond.

8. Two timing Connery - Naughty!

Sean Connery overstepped the mark when making 'Diamonds are Forever'.  His playboy qualities spilled into his real life worldImage source Daily Mailand he dated two of the Bond girls at the same time. When they found out about each other, they dumped him!

9. Dalton in cliff hanger!

Timothy Dalton was almost a 'gonner' while shooting 'Licence to Kill'.  The film crew blocked off the famous La Rumorosa RoadImage source FourSquareso Dalton could drive through the twists and turns of the road, without worrying about going over the edge of the cliff!

10. An eye for romance ....

Halle Berry was in the middle of a love scene when playing Bond girl Jinx when some debris flew right into her eye and she actuallyImage source The Guardian Nigeriahad to undergo surgery to remove it.  As if that wasn't bad enough, she also almost choked on a fig and Brosnan had to perform the Heimlich.

11. That's Shneaky ....

In 'Dr No', the production team came up with an ingenious hack to make Sean Connery's character look as imposing as possible.Image source Critical HitThey scaled all the sets and props to be smaller than usual and this made James Bond look huge and intimidating. It did the trick!

12. Ian Fleming's real life Bond girl

According to The Times, Ian Fleming chose tough, glamorous women as they were loosely based on his own life. Like Bond, thereImage source www.ianfleming.comwas never a happy ending.  Fleming was deeply in love with a wealthy model and athlete, Muriel Wright. She died in an air raid.

13. Swimming with dead bodies ....

While filming 'The Man with the Golden Gun', Roger Moore fell into the Klong waterways in Bangkok.  When he opened his eyes,Image source Daily Starhe saw he was in an underwater grave yard! Apparently, the city’s undertakers would regularly dump bodies into the Klongs!

14. Fact or fiction?

Robert Davi portrayed a drug Bond villain in 'Licence to Kill' and one day fiction crossed over into reality. A group of menImage source IMDbabducted Davi and delivered him to a real South American drug lord. Davi was absolutely terrified until the gang admitted it was a stitch up!

15. George Lazenby the diva!

George Lazenby had been a top model when he was scouted to play Bond and 'bigged' himself up so much that he became dislikedImage source Hindustan Timesby all the cast and back room team.  He started acting like a diva even though it was his first acting role, described as 'bloody impossible'!

16. Hush - It's a secret ....

In 'The Spy Who Loved Me', the cinematographer started experiencing issues with his eye sight half way through filming so ....Image source TCMStanley Kubrick stepped in! The famous director controlled the lighting for the movie but insisted on keeping his contribution top secret.

17. No sweat for Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

After George Lazenby refused to star in further Bond movies, the studio approached  Adam West (tv’s Batman) and Burt Reynolds.Image source TwitterBoth had to turn down the roles due to scheduling issues. Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in Harry Potter) declined on account of being 'in terrible shape'.

18. Sean Connery being awkward ....

While shooting 'You Only Live Twice', Sean Connery didn't get on at all well with the producers and would refuse to get intoImage source Dallas Morning Newscharacter when they were around.  It got so bad on set that the studio announced it would be Connery's last Bond movie.

19. Elvis was a huge fan

When the great man Elvis saw 'The Spy Who Loved Me' on 10th August 1977 during a special viewing held at the General CinemaImage source Spindittyin Whitehaven, Tenn, he raved about it. The sad thing is that it was the film buff's final public outing as he passed away 6 days later.

20.  More gold in Goldfinger

During the making of 'Goldfinger', the villain causes the death of a woman through suffocation, by painting her whole bodyImage source Messy Nessy Chicand not allowing oxygen to breathe through the pores. A 6 inch patch of the actress's stomach was left unpainted, just in case!