The Playlist

Cannes 2013: Surprises & Notable Absence ...

The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.

Interviews

Vin Diesel Says 'Fast & Furious 7' Will Take Place In L.A, Tokyo & The Middle East

By Joe Cunningham
|
May 17, 2013 11:40 AM
|
0 Comments

News

Who ever thought from its modest beginnings that the “Fast & Furious” franchise would ever reach the point where they have villains to face off against in each entry, with each requiring them to jet off to a variety of new and exotic locations. It was Rio for “Fast Five,” and in the most recent entry, “Furious 6,” the crew spent the majority of their time in London and Spain. Dominic Toretto’s practically James Bond by this point, right?

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
May 7, 2013 8:59 AM
|
3 Comments

News

Going into "Fast & Furious 6" in a couple of weeks time, you'll already know that a sequel has the green light and is already in pre-production for release next summer, with James Wan directing. As far back as 2011, rumors have been swirling that the sixth and seventh chapters in the 'Furious' saga would be telling one massive, linked story. Then as "Fast & Furious 6" started gearing up in earnest, Jason Statham was heavily touted to join, only for him to reportedly turn down the movie. But the rumors persisted, and earlier this year a mega-spoiler arrived indicating that Statham would be in the franchise, but for "Fast & Furious 7." That's all we'll say (click the link to get the full dirt).

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
April 16, 2013 3:15 PM
|
0 Comments

News

The only question facing Universal right now is just how much of the $626 million worldwide that "Fast Five" made, will be matched or exceeded by "Fast & Furious 6." There is really no doubt it's going to be a monster hit at this point, because no matter where you stand on this series, or whether or not you're a film snob, Vin Diesel driving the car out of the front of a jetplane is fucking awesome. Universal knows this, and that's why they're already looking ahead to next year.

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
April 10, 2013 10:40 PM
|
1 Comment

News

Well, Universal was expected to make an announcement this week and indeed, almost seven days to the news that Justin Lin wouldn't be directing "Fast & Furious 7," the studio has found their man. And it's none of the rumored Brad Furman, Harald Zwart or Jeff Wadlow.

By Charlie Schmidlin
|
April 8, 2013 9:01 AM
|
2 Comments

News

As every new trailer shows, the “Fast and Furious” franchise is slowly inching toward “Speed Racer” with tank tops, but that journey hit a bump last week when it was revealed that 'Furious 6' director Justin Lin would not return for the series' seventh installment. That didn't stop rumors from swirling about that film's villain, but it seems Universal have now made steps toward finding a new helmer, and quick.

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
April 4, 2013 1:19 PM
|
11 Comments

News

Say what you will about Justin Lin, but he's come a long way since breaking out with his indie "Better Luck Tomorrow." Granted, most of his success has come from shooting fast cars do jumps and stuff, but he also helped revitalize and re-legitimatize the "Fast & Furious" franchise as a whole, thanks to the staggering success of "Fast Five." And there's no doubt that "Fast & Furious 6" is going to be another monster hit. But it looks like the director is done shifting gears.

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 14, 2013 2:37 PM
|
10 Comments

News

Okay crybabies, there will be spoilers below. So don't cry if you still click through and then everything in the universe is ruined for you forever. So with that caveat in mind, let's press forward....

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 15, 2012 12:56 PM
|
4 Comments

News

Does your franchise need a boost of charisma and talent? Hire Dwayne Johnson. The wrestler-turned-action hero made his presence known in last year's "Fast Five," which also turned out to be the biggest (and most enjoyable, by most accounts) entry in the series, spawning talk that Universal was gonna double up on the follow-ups, with "Fast Six" and "Fast Seven" to shoot back-to-back to deliver one, big linked story. Well, for all you gear heads, the good news is that the sequel is indeed happening, but alas it seems you'll only be getting one more movie for now.