MOVIE URBAN LEGEND: Vin Diesel turned down a money cost for his cameo in The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift, selecting as a substitute to discount for the movie rights to certainly one of his different movie characters.
It is vitally laborious, in 2022, to look again to 2006 and understand that not solely was The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift NOT the ultimate movie within the Quick and Livid franchise (which it actually regarded like on the time), however that it as a substitute was the beginning of a complete new starting for the franchise because it turned larger and higher than it ever had earlier than.
A part of why it’s so laborious to consider is that the movie itself actually had little or no to do with any of that different stuff, however fairly the behind the scenes components of the movie that later led to the movie changing into the beginning of one thing massive fairly than the top of the whole lot.
One of many key components of this new starting was Vin Diesel returning on the finish of the movie in an uncredited cameo as Dominic Toretto, the character he had originated within the first The Quick and the Livid, however had refused to play within the movie’s first sequel, 2 Quick 2 Livid (sure, the precise title of the second movie within the sequence). Torretto exhibits as much as race Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), the star of Tokyo Drift, on the finish of the movie. Torretto notes that he was a good friend of Han Lue (Sung Kang), Sean’s good friend and mentor within the movie who had seemingly died earlier within the movie.
Diesel’s return to the franchise arrange his full return in Quick & Livid three years later, which turned the franchise’s fortunes round (Tokyo Drift made about $80 million lower than 2 Quick 2 Livid) with the most important hit of the franchise but, however then when the franchise expanded past simply racing vehicles and into elaborate virtually superhero fashion tales in Quick 5, the field workplace numbers catapaulted, with Quick 5 virtually doubling Quick & Livid’ field workplace. Clearly, the return of Vin Diesel was essential…so how did it occur?
HOW DID THE FILMMAKERS GET DIESEL TO RETURN TO HIS ICONIC ROLE OF DOMINIC TORRETTO?
The issues with The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift had been typically studio-driven, as the 2 males who had been employed for the mission, director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan, have been the important thing artistic personnel within the evolution of Quick and Livid to changing into oine of essentially the most dominant movie franchises in all the world (Lin has directed Quick & Livid, Quick 5, Quick & Livid 6, F9 and can be directing the upcoming two-part Quick & Livid 10). Morgan has written the screenplays for all movies save for F9, which he missed as he helped launch the spinoff movie sequence, Quick & Livid Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (and he, too, is returning for Quick & Livid 10).
When Morgan signed on to the movie (through an open casting name for brand new writers), he initially thought that the movie would have Diesel in it. He defined to Uproxx in 2017, “There was an open writing name for the third movie. I believe initially I got here in and pitched. Primarily it was Tokyo Drift, however it was with Vin, and his character form of needed to exit and study drifting. And there was a homicide he needed to clear up. They usually mentioned, ‘Nah, can’t do this. Now we have to do highschool.’ And so the movie turned what the movie was. I used to be actually happy with it. And the viewers, they got here to see it. Lots of people appreciated it. It form of did the worst of all of the movies.”
Lin, particularly, put loads of his personal coronary heart and soul into the movie, making adjustments to the movie as he went alongside. He recalled becoming a member of the mission, “‘After I learn the unique script, they referred to as me up and requested, ‘What do you assume?’” says Lin. And I mentioned, ‘I believe it’s offensive and dated, and I don’t have any intention of doing it.’ However Stacey [Snider], the top of the studio, mentioned, ‘Simply inform us what you’d do in a different way.’
So I mentioned, ‘To start with, I’d eliminate all of the gongs and temples and Buddhas and the visible gags about how the white man is a foot taller than all of the Asians.’ And he or she mentioned, ‘OK, we’ll make the form of movie you need.’ I used to be like, ‘Uh, are you certain?’ In the end, it ended up being a relentless problem — I saved on entering into discussions that had been like,
‘You signed me to do a sure sort of movie, in the event you don’t wish to do this movie, eliminate me.’ However all you’ll be able to ever ask is that the producers and the studio be truthful and affordable. And to their credit score, they had been very reasonable and affordable.” Lin added Kang’s Han, who turned a franchise favourite, and made numerous different adjustments to assist make the movie be nearly as good because it could possibly be.
Nevertheless, in the long run, the take a look at screenings nonetheless weren’t wonderful, and Morgan joked, “It’s so humorous. It may have been the dying throes, after which fortunately, the factor that form of saved us was that we bought Vin on the very finish of the movie to return in and form of trace the place we’re going to go sooner or later.”
Lin recalled assembly up with Diesel in individual to persuade him to do the movie, “We talked our solution to going to his home. I keep in mind he was displaying us his Dungeons and Dragons e-book and stuff like that and I ended up speaking by his poolside for 4 hours concerning the mythology and his relationship with Han. It sounds loopy, however all the best way as much as ‘Quick 6,’ loads of that was talked about that evening in 2005.” Lin then famous, “When Vin Diesel confirmed up, I keep in mind sitting within the viewers and the group went loopy and that’s when the studio went, ‘Wow, perhaps we must always convey him again.’”
HOW WAS VIN DIESEL PAID FOR HIS CAMEO IN THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT?<>/h3
Because it turned out, the important thing to getting Diesel to return was a completely different movie! Considered one of Diesel’s first massive tasks was 2000’s Pitch Black, the place he performed the mysterious Riddick. One of many causes Diesel couldn’t do 2 Quick 2 Livid was as a result of he was engaged on the sequel to Pitch Black, 2004’s Chronicles of Riddick. Whereas Pitch Black was a shock hit, the larger price range Chronicles of Riddick was a little bit of a flop, maybe not even making greater than its price range on the field workplace.
Subsequently, in alternate for doing the cameo in The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift, Diesel didn’t need money, he needed the movie rights to the Riddick character, which had been owned by Common Photos, the makers of the Quick & Livid movies. The studio agreed and in 2013, Diesel produced the smaller price range Riddick, which turned a minor hit for the actor (mockingly, Common later took an fairness place within the movie and distributed it).
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