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Director Louis Leterrier Says He Hid “TIE Fighter Sounds” in Fast X
Leterrier's love for the galaxy far, far away runs deep.
It's kind of hard to overstate the impact of Star Wars on the film industry.
Not only did A New Hope represent a watershed moment for special effects, it also "started the whole movie-franchise thing," as succinctly put by the U.K. brand agency known as Definition. George Lucas's game-changing space opera continues to influence cinematic storytellers — especially those who grew up watching the original trilogy in theaters — carrying on that innovative, genre-defining blockbuster tradition that began in the galaxy far, far away. In a way, it even influenced one of this year's biggest blockbusters, Fast X (now streaming on Peacock).
Fast X director hid iconic Star Wars sound effects in Fast Saga blockbuster
"Any person ... in their '40s or '50s saying they're making movies for a different reason than trying to do a Star Wars movie are lying," Director Louis Leterrier said during a rewatch of The Incredible Hulk (now available to own from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) with MTV's Josh Horowitz. "We are all trying, in a way, to make a Star Wars movie. Even in my last movie, in Fast X, I put TIE Fighter sounds in it. I just cannot help myself."
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And it's 100% true. You can hear the iconic screech of the Imperial vessel when villain Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) chases after Jakob Toretto (John Cena) and Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) around the 1-hour, 54-minute mark. Don't believe us? Go stream the movie on Peacock right now and listen for yourself!
The instantly-recognizable audio effect was engineered by Oscar-winner Ben Burtt, who mixed the sound of slowed-down elephants cries with that of a car driving over wet pavement. According to the TIE Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual published in 2019, Emperor Palpatine wanted the single-pilot ships to intimidate enemies by regularly letting out "a noise akin to a screech from a bird of prey."
While Leterrier has yet to fulfill his dream of helming a galactic project for Lucasfilm, he did admit to pitching them a "Lone Wolf and Cub"-inspired TV series long before The Mandalorian hit the scene.
"And they said, 'Nah, we don't know if it's a great idea. We'll get back to you.'" When pressed by Horowitz for more details on what the idea involved, Leterrier said he tried to sell them on a story about Obi-Wan Kenobi and the infant Luke Skywalker set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. He also lobbied for the gig of the Boba Fett movie, which ultimately became The Book of Boba Fett.
Where to stream Fast X online?
Fast X is now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
The NBCUniversal platform currently offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($5.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($11.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
When will the next Fast & Furious movie be released?
Right now, the eleventh installment in the Fast & Furious franchise is slated for a wide theatrical bow on April 4, 2025. While that may end up changing (Universal Pictures has yet to make any official announcement), Leterrier, Diesel, and the rest of the Fast Saga team can now put the pedal to the metal in terms of production, now that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have officially ended.
It is also worth stressing that Fast 11 will be preceded by a second Hobbs spinoff headlined by Dwayne Johnson, who made a surprise cameo appearance in a mid-credits tag for Fast X. A title, director, and release date for that project are unknown at this time.
Looking for more theatrical action? The Super Mario Bros. Movie; Asteroid City; Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken; and Strays are also streaming on Peacock.
