The Fast and the Furious 2001

The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen, and written by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, based on the 1998 Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li. The first installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. In the film, undercover cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) infiltrates a street racing crew to investigate a series of hijackings and finds himself developing a complex friendship with the group's leader, Dominic Toretto (Diesel). The Fast and the Furious entered development in late 1998, its concept inspired by Li's 1998 Vibe article about the illegal street racing scene of New York City at the time. Thompson and Bergquist wrote the original screenplay that year, with Ayer hired soon after. Various actors were considered for the roles of O'Conner and Toretto, with Walker cast in 1998 and then Diesel in early 1999, with the pair attending actual street races in preparation for the film.