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20 Things You Didn’t Know About The Film
Given the fact that the Fast and Furious franchise has grown into one of the biggest blockbuster series of all time, it is strange to look back on the first movie as the one that started it all. The Fast and the Furious took audiences into the world of street racing, introduced key characters that would lead the franchise, and establish the underlining story of family.
RELATED: Every Fast & Furious Movie Ranked, According To Ranker
Even wilder, The Fast and the Furious has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary of release. With such a milestone passed and the series heading into its final lap, it seems like a good time to look into some of the little-known facts about this first movie.
The Movie Began As An Article
It’s always interesting to see the origins of popular movies and The Fast and the Furious has a surprising one. In the movie’s director commentary, director Rob Cohen explained that he was first given an article on street racing and asked about making a movie out of it.
Cohen initially didn’t see an entire movie set in this world. However, after attending an actual illegal street racing event and seeing the culture it created, he quickly changed his mind.
The Title Was Taken
While the franchise has since come up with all sorts of creative and silly ways to rework the title for the many sequels, The Fast and the Furious remains a pretty ideal title for this first installment. However, when the movie was getting underway, it was discovered that the title was owned by a B-movie from 1955. In the commentary, Cohen explained that Universal traded stock footage to producer Roger Corman in exchange for use of the name.
Producers Wanted Timothy Olyphant As Dom
Vin Diesel began his rise as a Hollywood star thanks largely to his breakout role as Dom Toretto in The Fast and the Furious. He made the role into an iconic one and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing Dom. However, producers initially wanted Timothy Olyphant to take the role but he passed. During an interview on Watch What Happens Live, Olyphant insisted he didn’t regret turning it down as it “wasn’t my thing.”
Some Interesting Actors Were Considered For Brian O’Conner
The other key lead in the first movie was Brian O’Conner, played by Paul Walker. He ended up leading the franchise along with Diesel until Walker’s tragic death in 2013. And just like with Diesel, it is hard to see anyone else taking the role despite some interesting choices.
RELATED: Dom’s Family, Ranked By Fast & Furious Movie Appearances
The likes of Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and even rapper Eminem were linked to the part at various times before Walker came on board the project.
The Romance Between Dom And Letty Was Not In The Original Script
Perhaps the most important relationship throughout all of the Fast and Furious movies has been the one between Dom and Letty. There have been a lot of ups and downs in their romance but it is very much the heart of the later movies especially. Oddly enough, this romance didn’t initially exist in the movie. But Cohen explains in the commentary that it was added after Michelle Rodriguez was cast in order to give her more to do.
Some Of The Cast Couldn’t Drive
In order to give a realistic sense of this world revolving around cars, the movie required many of the actors to do their own stunts behind the wheel. Interestingly, certain cast members were not even allowed to legally drive when they were cast in the movie. When talking to Entertainment Tonight, both Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez admitted to not having their driver’s license until after they got their roles.
Ja Rule’s Role Barely Existed At First
It seems to have become a bit of a trend in these movies that a musical artist will make a cameo. And the first one to do so was Ja Rule who had a small role as one of the racers in the first street racing sequence. However, Cohen admitted in the commentary that the role for Ja Rule didn’t really exist by the time he came to set and it was made from him improvising the part along with the rapper.
The Movie Was Heavily Inspired By Westerns
Another detail Cohen discussed in the commentary was how so much of the movie was modeled after Western movies. He claimed that he saw Dom as the “fastest gun in the West” character. He also admitted that the opening truck heist sequence was inspired by Stagecoach, one of John Wayne’s most acclaimed movies, with the truck as the stagecoach and the cars as the outlaws on horses.
The Speeding Scenes Were Inspired By Star Wars
While the crime aspect of The Fast and the Furious may have been taken from Westerns, Cohen admitted on the commentary track that he had a more specific inspiration for the racing sequences.
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He talked about wanting to add a science-fiction element to these scenes, particularly when the drivers initiate the NOS and go into high speeds. He modeled these moments off of the lightspeed sequences from Star Wars.
Similarities To Point Break
After so much time, fans may forget that the original plot of the movie revolved around Brian O’Conner as an undercover cop infiltrating Dom’s crew and being accepted into this underground culture. In the commentary, Cohen acknowledges that the plot shares a striking similarity to Point Break as well as the crime movie Donnie Brasco. But he simply praised both movies and insisted it was good to be inspired by the best.
The Reasoning For The Undercover Plot
While discussing the first act reveal of Brian being a cop, Cohen also acknowledged on the commentary that some questioned if that storyline was necessary for the movie. However, Cohen felt that the movie couldn’t be sustained by just focusing on the street racing as it was meant to be a movie about the lifestyle of this world rather than the racing itself. The crime story added more excitement to propel the movie.
The Editing Style Is Purposely Fast Throughout
While the racing scenes and high-speed heist sequences are obviously the biggest draws in the first movie, Cohen wanted to ensure that the rest of the movie was as gripping as possible. In the commentary, he spoke about wanting the camera to always be in motion and wanting to have a fast editing style so even the scenes of dialogue and exposition felt like a race.
The Production Painted Local Houses
In the commentary, Cohen talked about wanting to make the world of the cars and the racing stand out as something truly special amidst the rest of the world around it. In order to do this, the production sometimes went to great lengths.
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Cohen said that they asked local houses that would appear in the shots with the cars if they could paint them more muted colors so that the colorful cars would stand out more.
The Torture Scene Was Scaled Back
The Fast and Furious movies have grown into huge adventures with plenty of action, but the violence in the first movie is quite tame by comparison. Even so, Cohen pointed out in the commentary that the torture scene in which a man is doused with motor oil was forced to be trimmed down. Cohen explained how important he thought it was that a younger audience be allowed to see the movie and therefore accepted when the MPAA asked to make the scene less intense in order to secure a PG-13 rating.
The Fight Between Brian And Vince Was Improvised
One of the conflicts in the movie is between Brian and Vince, a particularly hostile member of Dom’s crew. Their rivalry starts very early as one of the first scenes finds them getting in a brawl. Cohen explained in the commentary that the entire fight was initially choreographed beforehand, but the two actors felt it was unnatural so they decided in the moment to improvise a scrappier fight which ended up being used.
Rick Yune Had Issues With Getting Beaten Up
The villain in the first movie was Johnny Tran, played by Rick Yune. As to be expected, the character serves as a rival of Dom and the two come to blows eventually at the desert sequence. In the commentary, Cohen explained that Yune was uncomfortable with his character getting knocked down so easily by Dom as he wanted to put up more of the fight. However, Cohen reasoned that a punch from Vin Diesel would not be easy to walk away from.
David Ayer Wrote The Movie’s Most Famous Line
In the commentary, Cohen stressed the particular importance of the scene between Brian and Dom in the garage when Dom talks about his past as a violent criminal. He felt in humanized the anti-hero so the audience could root for him in the end.
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And while there were a number of screenwriters who contributed to the script, Cohen singled out David Ayer as the one who came up with the famous line, “I live my life a quarter-mile at a time.”
Dom’s Karmic Justice
While Cohen wanted fans to have a connection to Dom and see him as a sympathetic anti-hero, he explained in the commentary that he felt he needed to face some sort of punishment for his crimes. He felt as though Dom’s arc was building to some karmic justice being paid and that came with the final truck heist sequence. Cohen even avoided making the truck driver a distinguishable character as he wanted the truck to seem like a monster of karma.
The Stunt Work Of The Final Heist Scene
Unsurprisingly, the sequence Cohen spent the most time talking about on the commentary track was the final truck heist scene. He was sure to express that while all the actors were doing a lot of their own stunts in the scene, there was never a point where they were put in any danger. Cohen expressed that he felt that level of safety being maintained is the art of action filmmaking. He also pointed out that actor Matt Schultz who plays Vince was actually strapped to the front of the truck for the sequence and was made an honorary stuntman at the end of the shoot.
Multiple Endings Were Shot
According to Cohen in the commentary, the most discussed and most controversial scene in the movie for the production was the ending in which Brian lets Dom escape arrest. Cohen explained that many of the people involved were unsure if that was the right direction to go in for the ending. While multiple alternate endings were shot, Cohen insisted that he always felt the movie was building to the moment Brian lets Dom go.
NEXT: 10 Most Underrated Moments In The Fast & Furious Series
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Fast & Furious 11 Release Delay & Filming Start Date Confirmed By Director
Summary
Fast and Furious 11
is facing a release date delay to Summer 2026 due to strikes, with director Louis Leterrier confirming the sequel will not be hitting its April 4, 2025 date.
Leterrier also confirms that filming starts in Fall 2025 after finishing a horror movie in September.
The final installment in the
Fast Saga
reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto for one last ride, while also leaving the door open for other spinoffs.
After facing multiple delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, Fast and Furious 11 is seeing its release date delayed. The next installment in the Vin Diesel-fronted franchise is expected to be the last mainline sequel, while development continues on the Dwayne Johnson-led spinoff Hobbs & Reyes, a mysterious standalone movie penned by Fast X’s Zach Dean and a potential female-led spinoff. While a filming start date was never confirmed, Universal had previously set the movie for an April 2025 release date.
During a recent interview with Collider at a CCXP MX panel, Louis Leterrier was asked for an update on Fast and Furious 11. The director went on to confirm that the final mainline installment in the action franchise will no longer be making its April 4, 2025 release date, instead now aiming for a Summer 2026 release window with the filming start date being set for this fall. Check out what Leterrier said below:
It’s happening. It’s happening very, very soon. I’m able to shoot a little horror movie this summer. I’m finishing my horror movie on September 15th, and I start Fast on September 16th.
Will Fast 11’s Multiple Delays Help Or Hurt The Sequel?
Much like the tenth film before it, Fast and Furious 11 has faced a few behind-the-scenes hardships in its road to getting off the ground, namely the delays stemming from the 2023 strikes. While the latest movie seems to have retained its core creative team in comparison to the shift in directors from franchise vet Justin Lin to Leterrier on Fast X after reported creative differences between the former and Diesel, this change didn’t seem to help much with the continued downward trend recent sequels have seen from critics. Check out how the franchise’s Rotten Tomatoes scores compare below:
Title RT Critical Score RT Audience Score The Fast and the Furious 54% 74% 2 Fast 2 Furious 37% 50% The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 37% 69% Fast & Furious 28% 67% Fast Five 78% 83% Fast & Furious 6 71% 84% Furious 7 81% 82% The Fate of the Furious 67% 72% Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw 67% 88% F9: The Fast Saga 59% 82% Fast X 56% 84%
Even looking outside the Fast and Furious franchise, many movie sequels have found themselves hurt by various delays, be they from creative changes, general release shifts or other factors. The action genre in particular is one in which lengthier development periods can lead to diminishing returns, be it A Good Day to Die Hard, Rambo: Last Blood or Diesel’s own xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. While Fast and Furious 11 may only be getting pushed back by a year, the delay is nonetheless a concern that the final installment could find itself in trouble.
On the other hand, the longer wait for Fast and Furious 11 to close out the mainline series of movies could actually prove beneficial for the sequel. Though Leterrier may be busy with another project in the lead-up to filming the next installment, writers Oren Uziel and Christina Hodson should now have more than enough time to really look back at the script and ensure it learns from the critical missteps of recent installments to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the Dominic Toretto saga.
Source: Collider
Fast and Furious 11 Fast and Furious 11 is the final movie in the Fast Saga. It reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto with the rest of the cast for one last ride. However, the franchise is open for spinoff films like Hobbs & Shaw afterward.Director Louis Leterrier Release Date April 4, 2025 Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Christina Hodson , Oren Uziel
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Vin Diesel Already Has His Perfect Fast & Furious Replacement Franchise With 51-Year-Old Remake
Summary
Vin Diesel’s dominance in Fast & Furious is ending, but Kojak could kick off a new action franchise for him.
Kojak’s reboot faces an uncertain future, but its similarity to Fast & Furious makes it a worthy project for Diesel.
Diesel’s potential shift from criminal racer to cop signifies a fresh start in a possible Fast & Furious-like series.
Vin Diesel’s days of playing Dominic Toretto are numbered, but the actor has already found his perfect Fast & Furious replacement. Diesel found a major breakout role in the early 2000s thanks to participating in The Fast and the Furious. The original 2001 street racing crime movie became the springboard for a sprawling franchise that has lasted for over two decades. The success of the Fast & Furious movies transformed Vin Diesel’s career, turning him into an even bigger star, especially in the action movie genre. But, Fast & Furious 11 is planned as the final chapter for him and the franchise.
The Fast & Furious franchise’s end will put Vin Diesel in an unfamiliar position of not having a major franchise to lean back on. This presents the actor with various options, such as changing the course of his career to pursue non-franchise roles. However, the more likely outcome is that Diesel will attempt to find a new IP that can replace Fast & Furious. He has had trouble in that regard recently, with franchises like xXx or Riddick running cold and Bloodshot and The Last Witch Hunter failing to launch franchises. There is another option for Diesel, though.
2:03 
Kojak Can Be Vin Diesel’s New Action Crime Franchise After Fast & Furious
Diesel Has Been Developing The Reboot Since 2015
The impending conclusion of the Fast & Furious franchise means it is finally time for Vin Diesel’s Kojak reboot to get off the ground. The project was announced back in 2015 with Diesel re-teaming with Universal Pictures, the studio behind Fast & Furious, to develop a movie based on Kojak. The original TV series starred Telly Savalas as Theo Kokaj and ran for three seasons after debuting in 1973. The series revolves around Kojak, a New York detective known for being willing to go beyond the law and a love for cars and lollipops, and follows him as he investigates different cases.
Kojak was rebooted in 2005 as a TV show starring Ving Rhames, but it only ran for six episodes
Development on Vin Diesel’s Kojak movie has not been very active in the nine years since it was announced. However, it still maintains the base similarities to Fast & Furious, which makes the project a worthwhile endeavor for Diesel in terms of finding a new action franchise. He would now have another big action series about cars and crime, essentially making Kojak into a newer version of Fast & Furious. The irony here is that Diesel takes on the role of a cop after playing criminal racer Dominic Toretto.
Vin Diesel’s Involvement Can Morph Kojak Into A Major Action Franchise
Kojak Could Be A Fast & Furious Clone
Looking at the original TV show, Kojak might not necessarily project to be a major blockbuster action franchise akin to Fast & Furious. The TV series was relatively grounded and small due to the nature of its production. However, the fact that Diesel and Universal pinpointed this property as something they wanted to revive together is telling. The announcement of Kojak’s reboot came months after Furious 7 debuted in theaters and took the franchise to new heights at the box office and in terms of how ridiculously big the action and story could get.
It’s sometimes difficult to remember that Fast & Furious started off with a story about DVD thieves who were also street racers before Diesel helped turn it into something much bigger. With that experience and success already behind him, it would be understandable if a similar path was envisioned for Kojak. The series could then morph into a Fast & Furious clone, one that gives Vin Diesel a new franchise to headline and Universal a “fresh” action franchise to grow.
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The Rock’s WWE Run Means Fast & Furious 11 Must Make 1 Major Hobbs Change
Summary
Hobbs from Fast & Furious 11 needs a gritty edge like The Rock’s WWE character to keep the franchise fresh and exciting.
The Rock’s time away from the Fast & Furious universe provides the perfect reason for Hobbs to return with a personal vendetta and a more savage attitude.
While Hobbs shouldn’t become a full-fledged villain in Fast & Furious 11, adding some edginess and dirty tricks could make his character more intriguing and dynamic.
Fast & Furious 11 must make one major Hobbs change after The Rock’s incredible WWE run. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s WWE return surpassed his recent movies, with the actor creating some of the best work of his career. Having returned to a thunderous reception, The Rock was able to flip the crowd’s reception by becoming a heel and playing a major part in WrestleMania’s main events. The Rock hasn’t played a villain on screen for years, as even his depiction of Black Adam lent more into the character’s anti-hero side, which made his wrestling run all the more refreshing.
While his wrestling character may not perfectly translate into the Fast & Furious universe, there is one aspect of The Rock’s WWE run that the franchise should attempt to implement. After debuting in Fast Five, The Rock’s best Fast & Furious scenes helped contribute to the movie series becoming so popular, with Luke Hobbs becoming an instrumental part of the story. He was even given his own spinoff alongside Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and is set to get a solo movie in the future. Despite this, Hobbs would still benefit from adding one key aspect of The Rock’s WWE run.
The Rock’s WWE Run Proves Fast & Furious 11 Needs To Give Hobbs More Of An Edge
Fast & Furious Would Benefit From Hobbs Adopting Some Of The Rock’s WWE Tendancies
Given how electrifying The Rock’s recent WWE run was, there is no doubt Fast & Furious 11 needs to give Hobbs more of an edge. Although the character has had his more serious moments, like most of the Fast & Furious cast, Hobbs tends to mix action with comedy. Hobbs and Shaw are supposed to be two of the more stoic heroes, yet they are constantly at each other’s throats and cracking jokes to help maintain the franchise’s lighthearted core. However, giving Hobbs a grittier side would help the character thrive upon his return.
The Rock’s Fast & Furious return may redeem Fast X’s box office, but the character needs to come back stronger than ever. By allowing him to be more ruthless, he can still maintain some elements of comedy but also become more interesting in the process. Johnson proved that despite being a detestable heel, he was still as hilarious as ever during his recent WWE tenure. This proves that he can maintain Fast & Furious’ tone and humorous style while being more layered; therefore, Hobbs adopting some of The Rock’s WWE characteristics could make him even more entertaining.
Fast & Furious Already Has A Reason For Hobbs To Be More Savage
Hobbs Has Been Away From The Franchise For Several Years
Making a major change to Hobbs’ character could be tough to explain, but Fast & Furious 11 already has a great reason to make him more savage. His four-year absence from the franchise gives him a perfect excuse to come back with a vengeance and potentially have a personal attachment to Fast & Furious 11’s villains. Hobbs’ time away from the main story could be explained through a connection to Fast X’s secondary villain, Aimes. Aimes’ villain twist in Fast X was well executed and suggests he’ll be around for the sequel, which is the perfect reason to bring back Hobbs.
Having a more personal story with one of the villains could allow Hobbs to continue his great quips and one-liners, but it would also give him more of an edge.
Fast X never explained why he’s back, but having a personal vendetta against Aimes could be an intriguing reason. Given Dom and Dante are the focal point of the franchise’s conclusion, Hobbs returning to take down Aimes would avoid overshadowing the main story while still giving him an interesting role. Having a personal story with one of the villains could allow Hobbs to continue his great quips and one-liners, while also giving him more of an edge. This provides The Rock with the perfect reason to implement some of his heel traits while still portraying a morally good hero.
2:34 
Related Predicting The Ending Of All 13 Fast & Furious Characters In Fast 11 The Fast Saga is set to conclude with Fast & Furious 11 – or Fast X 2 – but how will Dom Toretto and his family’s stories come to a definitive end?
Why Fast & Furious Can’t Bring The Rock Back As A Villain
Hobbs Already Appeared As An Antagonist In Fast Five
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
Although The Rock’s villainous tendencies worked well in the WWE, Fast & Furious can’t bring him back as an antagonist. Johnson already played the main villain of Fast Five, as Hobbs was originally an enemy of Dom and his crew before becoming an ally. Hobbs’ role in Fast Five was one of his best, but despite being the main antagonist, he always had a level of integrity. Dropping all of this to make him a villain in the final movie would be completely unnecessary, especially as the franchise needs him to remain a hero for his spinoff.
Fast & Furious 11 may end the main story, but The Rock will be part of the franchise beyond this, and altering his character so drastically wouldn’t make any sense. Instead, adding some extra edge to his character would have the same effect and would avoid stealing the thunder from Dante and Aimes. Although Fast & Furious 11 shouldn’t make him a villain, the film can still allow Hobbs to play dirty and pull some cheap tricks in order to show a grittier side, while letting him taunt his enemies when he inevitably helps save the day.
Fast & Furious 11
is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 4, 2025.
Fast and Furious 11 Fast and Furious 11 is the final movie in the Fast Saga. It reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto with the rest of the cast for one last ride. However, the franchise is open for spinoff films like Hobbs & Shaw afterward.Director Louis Leterrier Release Date April 4, 2025 Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Christina Hodson , Oren Uziel
Fast & Furious 11 Release Delay & Filming Start Date Confirmed By Director
Vin Diesel Already Has His Perfect Fast & Furious Replacement Franchise With 51-Year-Old Remake
The Rock’s WWE Run Means Fast & Furious 11 Must Make 1 Major Hobbs Change
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