Tag: Movies

  • “F9,” the ninth “Fast and Furious” film, delayed a third time to June 25, 2021

    The virus continues to go viral.

    On Thursday a post was released on “The Fast and Furious” Facebook fan page stating the ninth installment in the film series, “F9“, was postponed for a third time to June 25, 2021. The second delay was due to the latest James Bond flick “No Time To Die” being pushed back to April 2, 2021, which has since been pushed back to October 8, 2021. “F9” was originally scheduled to hit theaters May 22, 2020, but the North American premiere was pushed back to 2021 last March.

    The first trailer released in January 2020 showed Jacob Toretto (played by John Cena), the brother of Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, is the main antagonist. Cena drives a Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang in one scene, while Toretto appears set to stick with his Dodge Charger. A Toyota Supra is expected to make an appearance in the film as well.

    The original trailer also had a surprise reveal. Han is still alive, despite his apparent death in the third film in the franchise “Tokyo Drift.”

    A new trailer was released in Feburary during Super Bowl LV with the expected mayhem and drama one finds in these films.

    It’s unclear how the postponement of “F9,” and the general concern about coronavirus, might affect plans for an all-female “Fast and Furious” spinoff previously discussed by Diesel.

    The “F9” originally announcement came shortly after Jeremy Clarkson confirmed on Twitter that season 4 of “The Grand Tour” is delayed due to coronavirus concerns.

    A nearly completed episode has been held up, and filming of further episodes won’t be possible under current conditions, Clarkson said.

    Pressure to cancel or postpone large gatherings has also affected the schedules of Formula One, Formula E, and IMSA.

    Source

  • Here are the cars rejected from 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious”

    From the Mitsubishi Eclipse to the Toyota Supra, the original 2001 hit “The Fast and the Furious” turned many cars into stars. But even more cars didn’t make the cut, as Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor for the early films in the franchise, explains in this video.

    First off, the original movie focused on tuner cars, and producers only wanted cars that were available in the United States at the time. That ruled out JDM models, rare muscle cars, and supercars, although some exceptions were made (including Dominic Toretto’s Dodge Charger) and these rules were relaxed in later films.

    Many cars that met those ground rules still didn’t make the cut, though. Producers turned down the Volkswagen Beetle, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and BMW Z3 for not being “manly” enough. Lieberman also noted that convertibles were usually avoided because it made it hard to hide stunt drivers’ faces (remember that Johnny Tran’s Honda S2000 was always shown with the top up).

    1992 Toyota MR2

    1992 Toyota MR2

    The script also originally had Brian O’Connor starting out in a Mitsubishi 3000GT, then switching to an Eclipse. However, none of the modified 3000GTs that showed up to the car casting call impressed producers, and the Supra was a better fit because of its removable large roof, which was needed for the truck-chase scene later in the movie, Lieberman said.

    Toretto was always slated to drive an FD Mazda RX-7, but other members of his crew could have ended up in different cars. Lieberman originally suggested an E36 BMW M3 or Audi S4 for Jesse, who got a Mark III Volkswagen Jetta instead. Initial car ideas for Vince included a Toyota MR2, Lexus GS, and Honda Prelude, but Lieberman’s own Nissan Maxima was chosen instead. Leon went from a Toyota Celica to an R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R.

    The original script also named a Ford Mustang as Tran’s car (and referred to the character as “Pete”). That didn’t make sense in a movie about tuner cars, but the change from Mustang to S2000 actually came about because producers saw a modified black S2000 they liked. Villains always drive black cars, the theory went.

    Source

  • Bueller? Bueller? Liftmaster’s latest commercial would ruin Ferris’ day off

    It’s not easy to make a memorable commercial for a garage-door opener, but LiftMaster found a way.

    The company on Monday released a 30-second ad spoofing the 1980s cult-classic movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” If you’re not familiar, the plot centers around the titular high schooler (played by Matthew Broderick) skipping school. At one point, Bueller and friend Cameron Frye (played by Alan Ruck) borrow Frye’s father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder (a replica was used in the movie).

    LiftMaster recreated that scene, complete with the glass-walled garage, but swapping the Ferrari replica for a 1966 Jaguar E-Type. Ruck even makes an appearance as the father, showing off the new LiftMaster Secure View garage-door opener’s noteworthy feature—a built-in camera that will let you know if anyone is “borrowing” your car.

    One of three cars used to film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” one crossed the block at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this year, netting $396,000. Built by Modena Design & Development, the car is officially known as a Modena Spyder California.

    It may look reasonably close to a real Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, but the replica has fiberglass bodywork and a steel-tube frame. Under the hood sits a 427-cubic-inch V-8 making about 500 horsepower, which is admittedly more than the 275 hp produced by the 3.0-liter V-12 in the genuine article.

    In addition to the car sold at Barrett-Jackson earlier this year—chassis number GTC001—a second car is known to exist. The third car was sacrificed for a scene in which the “Ferrari” takes a nose dive out of the garage. Thankfully, the Jaguar E-Type remains safe in the LiftMaster commercial.

    Source