It doesn't take a very astute cinéaste to see that Rob Cohen's 2001 car chase flick, "The Fast and the Furious," is an open lift of Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 heist movie "Point Break." Both films are about a sexy young FBI agent -- Paul Walker in "Fast" and Keanu Reeves in "Break" -- tasked with infiltrating a specialized gang of ultra-cool heisters equipped with a unique form of transport. In "Fast," the gang is made of high-octane street racers who love their cars as much as their families. In "Break,"
the gang is made up of laid-back surfers. Both gangs are headed by resolute and charismatic leaders who see their heisting habits as both noble and punk rock. In "Fast," it's Vin Diesel. In "Break," it's Patrick Swayze. The comparisons are myriad.
The first "Fast" film was a mere mid-budget thriller made for only $38 million, but it was a massive success and earned over $207 million at the box office. It spawned one of the most successful -- and most expensive -- film franchises of all time, with Walker and/or Diesel starring in the first seven films ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" notwithstanding). When Walker died in a car crash in 2013, the whole world felt it. By all reports, Walker was a relentlessly decent fellow in addition to a dazzling movie star. The 2015 film "Furious 7" was dedicated to his memory. It's hard to imagine the series being successful without him.
Like all major blockbusters, though, the central star wasn't necessarily a sure thing from the start. During the development of "The Fast and the Furious," Walker was on a short list of preferred actors that also included some surprising names. According to a report by CBS, Mark Wahlberg was being considered, as was Christian Bale. Most surprisingly, rapper Eminem was also asked to play Walker's character, Brian O'Conner.
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Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, And Eminem Were All On The Short List For The Fast And The Furious
Mark Wahlberg has appeared in numerous lightweight Hollywood actioners, so he seems like he would have been the best fit to the "Fast and Furious" material. One cannot say what his chemistry with Vin Diesel would have been like, though, and Wahlberg's assertive Bostonian attitudes might not have clicked with the film's Los Angeles setting. Wahlberg would have definitely been a draw since he had already appeared in Oscar contenders, such as "Boogie Nights," war pictures, such as "Three Kings," and action romps, such as "The Big Hit." However, it seems he selected Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" instead of "Fast" (both released in 2001). To be fair, though Burton's "Apes" is not beloved, that likely seemed the wiser choice on paper.
Christian Bale was a strange choice for Brian since he's a far more intense actor than the material warrants. He wasn't known for lightweight action pictures, having recently appeared in off-center horror films, such as "American Psycho," and queer music faux-biopics, such as "Velvet Goldmine." He did have a good resume playing heartthrobs -- "Newsies," "Little Women," and "Swing Kids" -- but he was more broody than sprightly. Bale would not have made "The Fast and the Furious" work. Meanwhile, Eminem hadn't yet starred in any movies -- his debut film, "8 Mile," was released in 2002 -- so he was a daring choice to lead a studio action picture. The rapper turned down the role, however, because he wanted to lose himself in "8 Mile" instead.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Walker signed on to play Brian the instant he was offered. Walker was an up-and-coming star at the time, starring in teen dramas such as "The Skulls," "She's All That," and "Varsity Blues." He was one of the Deedles in "Meet the Deedles" and played the clueless hunk in "Pleasantville." "The Fast and the Furious" was exactly Walker's speed.
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