“The Fast and the Furious,” the 2001 film that launched the Universal Pictures franchise, is set to screen at the Cannes Film Festival to mark its 25th anniversary.
The Midnight Screening will be attended by stars Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez, producer Neal H. Mortiz, and Meadow Walker, the daughter of the film’s late star Paul Walker. The film will play at the Grand Théâtre Lumière on May 13 at 11.45 p.m.
Universal released “The Fast and the Furious” on June 22, 2001. The high-octane thriller, set amid the street-racing culture of Los Angeles, was produced by Mortiz, directed by Rob Cohen, and starred Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Walker as Brian O’Conner, Brewster as Mia and Rodriguez as Letty.
The 11 films in the franchise have earned more than $7 billion at the worldwide box office, making it Universal’s most-profitable and longest-running franchise. Its core actors also include Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Tej, Sung Kang as Han and Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey.
Over the decades, the cast has expanded to include Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Jason Statham, Eva Mendes, John Cena, Kurt Russell, Jason Momoa, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson and Charlize Theron.
The franchise has spawned an ever-expanding universe including toys, video games, an animated series and the hit spin-off title “Hobbs & Shaw.”
Earlier this year, Universal announced that a new chapter, “Fast Forever,” will race into theaters on March 17, 2028.
The 79th Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 12 to 23.
