The Fast & Furious franchise has been building up to its penultimate film, Fast X ever since the debut of The Fast and the Furious at the beginning of the 21st century. As the adventure of Dominic Toretto and his crew gradually inches towards the end, the pent-up anticipation that has been coursing through the fandom’s veins for a very long time seems to have been treated justly by the franchise’s studio. Universal has signed off on an unprecedented budget for the film that will define a Hollywood blockbuster success in the era of superhero movies, musical biopics, and horror flicks.
Fast X Budget Increased to $340 Million by Universal
Among some of the many causes that have contributed to the upscaling of the semi-final film of the Fast & Furious franchise’s epic 21-year saga are global inflation, COVID-19, and a hike in cast salary. In an exclusive report by The Wrap, it has been disclosed that the inflation has resulted in increased budget costs during filming and production and on top of having to pay the ensemble cast of the film for the prolonged shoot, Universal also has to bear the costs of the pandemic safety protocols, including mandatory testing requirements.
Even though it’s not news for a film’s budget to cross the initial reports, it is striking when one considers the genre of the movie concerned and the reception of the franchise. The superhero industry is renowned for its over-the-roof production costs, specifically due to the heavy influence of CGI and VFX and its practice of casting multiple Hollywood A-listers at once. Fast X in that respect may not have to account for the CGI or even rely heavily on visual effects, but it does boast an incredibly spectacular cast comprising some of the most famous stars in contemporary Hollywood.
Moreover, F9: The Fast Saga has already reached an all-time peak in the franchise’s history with its incredulously exaggerated plot where the crew ultimately lands in space. Fast & Furious started off in back alley race tracks and on the streets of LA, and following the incredible success of the first film, its subsequent sequels kept getting bigger in terms of plot and overarching story. Now having fought international terrorism and literally proved the sky is the limit, it will be interesting to witness what the ending has in store for Dom and his family that warrants an overall budget of $340 million.
Fans Ridicule the Overarching $340M Budget of Fast X
With Dominic Toretto’s story driving to a crashing close, the smooth-drifters of the franchise have been tying up the fragmented ends that seem to have a love for resurrecting its “dead” characters. The plot of Fast X might similarly exhibit some surprising revelations and adrenaline-fueled plots. Moreover, the franchise lead Vin Diesel hyped up the Fast X plot saying,
“Just wait for 10. Let’s just say, the fact that you guys know that the studio is saying we can’t cover all this ground that needs to be covered in just one movie, you can only imagine what is to come.”
However, all the controversies and speculations that have surrounded the Fast & Furious franchise, especially since Dwayne Johnson‘s exit, have fallen short in light of this new budget report. Fans have grown increasingly cynical of the franchise in recent years and after F9‘s comical blunder, the Twitter crowd has gathered to jointly ridicule the Fast X budget.
The Fast & Furious franchise’s ambitious foray into expansive and colorfully dramatic plots has been arguably the most contentious part of the film series’ unprecedented success. While the era of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker overcoming their dislike for each other to become brothers portrayed an essence of simplicity and comfort, the explosive heists, government plots, espionage, and sabotage have called to the fans who find affinity in the unrealistic and escapist themes of the more recent movies.
It seems if the two-part conclusion to the Fast & Furious franchise attempts to harken to the good ole days, it might be just as successful for its tributary nostalgia as it would if it sticks to its current adrenaline-fueled high-octane drama.
Fast X premieres globally on 1 January 2023.
Source: The Wrap
