5 facts about the Fast and Furious franchise

The Fast and Furious film franchise is definitely one of the most successful franchises in the world. The story line in the films is filled with plot twists, street racing and even planes. From heists, family related problems to police officers, each film has grossed over hundreds of millions in the box office. Today we’ll be looking at 5 facts about the media franchise.

1) Tokyo Police were not happy with the filming

The police in Tokyo tried to stop the production from filming in the city as Tokyo did not give permits to film for the film Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift. The film crew and cast of the film were tormented by the police on a daily basis as filming would often cause congestion and a large crowd to gather to watch the filming take place.

2) Number of cars destroyed on set

This film franchise is all about illegal street racing, it is safe to mention there can be a number of mistakes, crashes and breakdowns on set. During the filming of Tokyo Drift, over 250 cars were destroyed. However, not all cars were destroyed by the main cast, behind the seats are stunt drivers and body doubles who are all trained to drive at high speeds.

3) Vin Diesel and Riddick 

One of the most popular cast members include Vin Diesel who plays the character of Dominic Toretto, the brother-in-law to Brian O’Connor played by the late Paul Walker. Initially during the first casting for the first hit film, Vin was not a member of the cast. However, when he was casted in, rather than charge the production of his time, he asked if he could be given the rights to the film Riddick.

4) The Nissan Skyline was one of Paul Walkers own cars

Paul walker is regarded as one of the best actors in Hollywood, he made his fortune from the F&F franchise. In the films Paul plays Brian who was often seen driving a blue Nissan Skyline R34. This car was owned by Paul in real life and was modified to his own standards at his car modification shop called ‘Always Evolving Car Shop’. The car was capable of having 550bhp as it had a straight 6 twin turbo engine.

5) The death of Paul Walker

In 2013, filming had started for Fast and Furious 7. Paul’s sudden death in a car crash sent shockwaves throughout the world, especially those that were hardcore fans of the actor and film franchise. After his death his two brothers Cody and Caleb Walker agreed to play his role on his behalf. The editing department used CGI to add Paul’s face onto his brother’s body to make it look realistic as possible. In a tribute at the end of the film best friends Vin and Paul are seen driving side by side on the highway as they both split up on the junction and drive separate ways. The scene is covered with the hit song ‘See You Again‘ which was used as a special tribute to the beloved actor.