Fast and Furious facts: Things you may not know about the successful franchise

Tyrese Gibson, from left, Nathalie Emmanuel, Vin Diesel and Ludacris attend the world premiere of Universal Pictures' "The Fate of the Furious" at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, April 8, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Another installment of the Fast and the Furious series is coming out.

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Here are 7 facts every fan should know before seeing “The Fate of the Furious.”

  1. Paul Walker wasn’t the first choice to play Brian O’Conner. Although it might be hard to imagine seeing anyone else portraying O’Conner in this series now, Eminem and Christian Bale were the producers’ first picks.
  2. Vin Diesel turned down $20 million and stayed out of “2Fast 2Furious” to make “The Chronicles of Riddick” instead.
  3. Ja Rule accidentally helped launched Ludacris’ film career. Ja Rule’s character, Tej Parker, was handed over to Ludacris after Ja Rule turned it down. Since then, Ludacris had become a regular cast member in the franchise.
  4. Brian and Letty don’t talk onscreen for the first five movies. Though Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez were close in real life, they didn’t have a scene where they talked until the sixth film in the series.
  5. Michelle Rodriguez didn’t know about the twist ending of “Fast Five.” She found out about Letty’s “security cam” photo after she saw it at the premiere.
  6. Tommy Lee Jones was envisioned as Hobbs for “Fast Five,” but was later replaced by Dwayne Johnson. Vin Diesel listened to feedback from the fans and made the changes.
  7. Paul Walker’s tragic real-life death meant “Furious 7” had to get a little creative. Producers were able to use CGI and deleted scenes from “Fast Five,” and also got some help from Walker’s brothers to complete the movie.

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