Fast And Furious Actors Almost Cast In The Franchise

The first installment of the thrilling Fast & Furious saga hit theaters in 2001, earning a whopping $207 million at the box office. It indeed delivered everything a street car racing-lover would want. Since then, the franchise has come a long way, evolving over the last 20 years in its gripping storytelling and commerciality. The Fast and Furious, at the moment, has spawned into nine movies along with a prequel/spin-off titled Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

Interestingly, that is not the end of what the franchise has to offer. Per Collider, the first part of Fast Ⅹ, which is split into two parts to cover more ground, is scheduled to hit the theaters in May 2023. The film is expected to bring back the principal cast that includes Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Charlize Theron, among many other actors.

Today, the cast of the Fast and Furious franchise may appear near-perfect, but this was never the first intended choice of actors for their respective roles by Universal Studios. Many surprising names surfaced during the development of the debut film. Here is a look at the actors who were almost cast in the Fast & Furious franchise.

5 Eminem

     ABC  

The late Paul Walker no doubt played the beloved character of Brian O’Connor profoundly well in the Fast and Furious franchise. However, during the 2000s, he was not the only name that was being considered for this role. One of the fabled names circling the character of Brain was surprisingly Marshall Mathers, an actor and rapper widely known as Eminem. He turned down the role due to his packed schedule. Per The Digital Fix, during those days, Eminem was busy with the movie 8 Mile, where he played the role of aspiring rapper Jimmy B-Rabbit Smith. Ultimately, 8 Mile was also an excellent call as it became a commercial and critical success.

4 Eliza Dushku

     Universal Studios  

Jordana Brewster, as we know, plays the role of Mia Toretto, Brain’s love interest and Dom’s younger sibling. But many fans are unaware of the fact that the character of Mia was written explicitly for Eliza Dushku. Riding high on the success following her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bring It On, Dushku made quite a name for herself in the industry. But sadly, the actor declined the role, though it is unknown why she did so. However, considering how busy she was in the early-2000s, it was likely a matter of scheduling. In addition to Dushku, other actresses considered for the part were Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

3 Redman

     20th Television  

In the first installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, Ja Rule played the role of Tej Parker. But the second installment saw him being replaced with rapper Ludacris due to friction between him and Universal Studios because of payment issues (via Project Casting). Ludacris, of course, was not the first name in mind for the swap in 2 Fast 2 Furious. Originally, Reggie “Redman” Noble was approached for the same role. Apparently, he had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. Noble was busy with the TV series Method & Red and a few other projects that demanded his undivided attention. That said, Ludacris did unimaginable justice to the character, which we cannot deny.

2 Timothy Olyphant

     Disney Platform Distribution  

Before Vin Diesel got cast as Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious franchise, the role of Dom was offered to Timothy Olyphant. When the film was pitched to Universal Studios, the producer only agreed to proceed with the idea if Olyphant was cast as the lead. Sadly, the actor turned down the role, believing it was “stupid.” After his refusal, naturally, the role was passed on to Diesel, who no doubt helmed the movie and the role responsibly. Well, the billions of dollars that have poured in due to the massive success of the Fast and Furious franchise, at least, speak volumes about Diesel’s effort in putting the franchise together.

1 Deepika Padukone

     Paramount Pictures  

Popular in Indian cinema but otherwise unknown to the western audience, Deepika Padukone was the original choice for the character of Ramsey. The actor even won the role as a result of her successful audition, but had to turn it down due to her commitments in the domestic film, Ram-Leela. Nonetheless, the actor garnered critical and commercial for her role as Leela in her native country. Though we cannot help but wonder what Fast and Furious would have looked like for her. Ultimately, Nathalie Emmanuel played the part, and the rest, as we know, is history. However, Padukone did join forces with Diesel in another film in Hollywood. In 2017, she played the role of Serena Unger in xXx: Return of Xander Cage; what’s more, she will reprise the same character in xXx 4.