Fast & Furious TV series in the works for Peacock
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Vin Diesel plays the main protagonist Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious film series.
PHOTO: UIP
NEW YORK – A television series based on the blockbuster movie franchise Fast & Furious (2001 to present) is being developed for the Peacock streaming service, NBCUniversal said on May 11.
American actor Vin Diesel, who plays the main protagonist Dominic Toretto in the films, announced that the series was coming to the small screen at a presentation to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall.
At the event on May 11, the 58-year-old said four TV shows were in the works. An NBCUniversal press release distributed later in the day listed only one Fast & Furious show in development.
Diesel said he was initially hesitant to commit to sequels for Fast & Furious, fearing that continuing the story about a group of street racers might prevent the original film from ever being considered a classic.
That concern has since been put to rest. The Cannes Film Festival will mark the high-speed franchise’s 25th anniversary with a midnight screening on May 13, honouring it as a classic.
Diesel will attend the Cannes screening alongside several of his co-stars from the films.
Since the first Fast & Furious movie in 2001, the 11 films in the series have brought in more than US$7 billion (S$8.9 billion) at global box offices.
The celebration of the franchise extends well beyond the screen. A new Fast & Furious roller coaster is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood this summer, with another attraction planned for Universal’s Orlando theme parks.
“For the last decade, we realised the fans want more,” Diesel said, noting that long-time viewers are eager to see the continuation of the franchise’s legacy characters and storylines.
The actor praised Ms Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios and chief content officer, who oversees film and television programming.
“I had to wait until it was right,” he said. “It became right when Donna Langley started to oversee it all. That’s when I knew the integrity of the characters, the international appeal and what makes us all feel like family would be protected in the TV space.”
The final Fast & Furious film is scheduled to debut on March 17, 2028. REUTERS
