Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Why Vin Diesel Initially Asked Universal Not to Make 2 Fast 2 Furious
"I felt they would compromise the ability for it to be a classic."
Back in May, Vin Diesel has teased an entire Fast X trilogy and an undisclosed number of spinoff projects waiting in the wings.
With Fast X headed to Peacock on Sept. 15, and the Fast Saga rapidly expanding at a pace hitherto unseen, it's a little hard to believe that there was once a time where Diesel (now lead star and producer on the rubber-burning series) didn't want to build a cinematic empire.
"The irony is, I asked Universal to not make a sequel. I felt they would compromise the ability for it to be a classic," the actor confessed while speaking to Entertainment Weekly for the 20th anniversary of The Fast and the Furious two years ago.
RELATED: Why Paul Walker Signed On to The Fast & The Furious Before a Screenplay Was Even Written
"Sometimes you have to say no and stand for the integrity you hope to manifest in a film," Diesel added. "Saying no in that that moment of my life might have understandably been scary, and yet, it's what allowed for everyone to commit wholeheartedly. Taking a pause is necessary when you want to really think about where you want to take something."
While more anthological in nature, the first two sequels — 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Tokyo Drift (2006) — did introduce a number of fan favorites characters like Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), and Han (Sung Kang) into the ever-growing fabric of the Fast Universe. The OG crew would finally reunite almost a decade later for 2009's Fast & Furious, which set the franchise down a road to the bombastic blockbuster mayhem we're accustomed to now.
"It totally started in a different place," Diesel added. "It started very humble, and that's something I'm grateful for, that we were able to start from humble beginnings so that you could really connect with these characters, without all the spectacle. The spectacle came as the movies needed to start one-upping themselves."
RELATED: ‘Fast X’ director teases ‘tremendous casualties’ for Dom and family: ‘His enemies are coming’
"The franchise has always come along at a point where I've questioned what I do for a living," said Michelle Rodriguez (Letty). "There's been lots of lulls in-between. It's the one place I feel accepted for being rebellious and a little bit crazy and off the beaten path."
Check out how Dom & co. bend the laws of nature in Fast X, coming to Peacock Sept. 15.
