The Fast and Furious franchise is known for its high-octane scenes, but did you know that Vin Diesel was not the studio's first choice to play Dominic Toretto? Timothy Olyphant was initially considered for the role. The film's success can be attributed to the hard work of the cast and crew, including stunt director Mick Rogers, who created a custom truck-van hybrid to capture realistic car scenes.
Some interesting facts about the franchise include:
* Gal Gadot almost lost her role as Giselle due to her limited English skills, but the casting director kept her in mind for future projects, including Wonder Woman.
* Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, and Débora Giorgi didn't have driver's licenses when they joined the franchise and had to undergo training before filming.
* Paul Walker's death during the production of Furious 7 led to a change in the film's ending, but the cast and crew decided to finish the movie as a tribute to him.
* The franchise has destroyed a total of 1,300 cars throughout its history, with the most being destroyed in Fast and Furious 6 (350 cars).
* The train heist scene in Fast Five cost $25 million, including the price of 600 yards of track, and the train was totally destroyed during filming.
* The ice chase scene in Fast and Furious 8 was filmed on Lake Muban in Iceland and required the use of pyrotechnics to simulate the cracks in the ice.
These behind-the-scenes facts showcase the hard work and dedication that goes into making the Fast and Furious franchise a success.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Vin Diesel was not the studio's first choice to play Dominic Toretto.
2. Timothy Olyphant was initially considered for the role of Dominic Toretto.
3. Vin Diesel convinced producer Neal Moritz to give him the role instead.
4. Vin Diesel initially wanted to do an independent film and refused to appear in "Faster and Furier".
5. Vin Diesel turned down a $25 million salary for the first film.
6. Vin Diesel agreed to appear in "Tokyo Challenge" in exchange for the rights to the character.
7. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel teamed up during their work on the franchise.
8. Paul Walker passed away during the production of "Furious 7".
9. The cast and crew decided to finish the film after Paul Walker's death.
10. Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, and Débora Giorgi didn't have a driver's license when they joined the franchise.
11. Gal Gadot almost lost a job opportunity when she auditioned for a role before landing the role of Giselle.
12. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham teamed up while working on the franchise.
13. Ryan Reynolds was considered for a role in the franchise.
14. Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson didn't exactly see eye to eye during the filming of "Fast and Furious 8".
15. A scene with Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw was cut because Vin Diesel didn't want to show off on set.
16. The franchise destroyed 78 cars in the first movie and 130 cars in the second movie.
17. The fourth film used 190 cars, while "Furious 6" used 350 cars and "Furious 7" used 230 vehicles.
18. The film "Furious 7" dropped cars from a plane with cameramen specialized in skydiving.
19. The ice chase scene in "Fast and Furious" was filmed on Lake Muban in Iceland.
20. The train heist scene in "Runaway" cost $25 million, including the price of 600 yards of track.
21. The entire budget of the film "Runaway" was $125 million dollars.