LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Before he debuted in 2001's 'The Fast and the Furious', Vin Diesel had been in a few feature films, including 'Saving Private Ryan', but it was the street racing movie that catapulted him to prominence. The movie had a $38 million budget, and Box Office Mojo reported that it earned over $207 million worldwide. Diesel has come to be identified with the 'Fast and Furious' films, but he was notably absent from '2 Fast 2 Furious', and it seems there were a few reasons for this.
Fans of the 'Fast' series eagerly anticipated the recently released 'Fast X', but despite putting a new arc into context and providing action-packed scenes, it didn't seem like an excellent addition to the franchise. It's Jason Momoa's metrosexual Dante Reyes in 'Fast X', who is arguably the only exquisite character in an expressionless movie.
Why Vin Diesel didn't return to '2 Fast 2 Furious'?
The absence of Dominic Toretto, played by Diesel, marks a significant distinction between this sequel and all the other 'Fast' movies. After a brief absence in the second Fast & Furious movie, Toretto has appeared in each subsequent film, and the character has now grown to be synonymous with the franchise.
Diesel stepped away from the project after the original film's success because he failed to see a way to recreate its charm. According to Screen Rant, Diesel reportedly turned down a chance to reprise his Dominic Toretto role in the John Singleton-directed '2 Fast 2 Furious' for up to $25 million. Why wouldn't Diesel reprise the part that catapulted him to fame when such a hefty pay was on the table?
Diesel admitted that he declined to be a part of the 'Fast and the Furious' sequel out of concern that it would distract from the first film. He explained in a 2017 interview with #Legend, "If we 'sequelized' it the way studios were doing at the time, just slapping a story together, I'd ruin the chance of that first one becoming a classic." Diesel also admitted that he was given a $25 million deal to play Dom once again, but for him, it wasn't about the money.
Diesel further added, "We were at a dinner in London celebrating the success of the film. One of the guys said to me, 'We have to do this again.' I remember telling everyone at the table, 'You can't do this again. You can't touch it. You have to leave it alone.' I was an idealist, and, to me, the script wasn't continuing the story."
Why did Vin Diesel return to 'Fast and Furious' (again)?
The actor was motivated to return to the series and take on a much more significant behind-the-scenes role by his unironic faith in the film series. He remarked to #Legend at the time: "After The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift, it came to me: why don't I be the producer? Why don't I oversee the work, write, and create what I want for this film? In the beginning, it had a great sense of diversity, and it still had remnants of that. The diversity was the fuel for the narrative."
Diesel's investment in the future 'Fast & Furious' films is admirable until you see what his unrestrained passion and involvement did to the making of the most recent sequel, 'Fast X'. However, it appears that the actor also wants to make movies with a diverse cast to create films with stories that appeal to him as well: "The diversity was the fuel for the narrative. I wanted to transform that diversity into a cool multiculturalism."
Other stars who turned down '2 Fast 2 Furious'
Rapper Ja Rule portrayed a character named Edwin in the first 'Fast' movie, who competes in the opening race alongside Brian and Dom. According to Grantland, Ja Rule (Edwin) was expected to have a much bigger part in '2 Fast 2 Furious'. Ja Rule claimed in a 2002 interview that he declined the film because he "just felt it wasn't the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now."
Ja Rule might have replaced Tej and appeared in at least six additional 'Fast' films over the years. However, if that had happened, viewers would have missed out on witnessing the chemistry between Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, which admittedly peaked in 'Fast Five' and has since suffered to the point where it's now sort of funny again.
