The film stars Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner alongside Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and James Remar.

A second Fast & Furious film was planned after the box office success of its predecessor in 2001, and was confirmed with the returns of Walker and producer Neal H. Moritz.

Vin Diesel and Rob Cohen, the co-star and director of the first film, were unable to return; Gibson and Singleton joined the cast in their absence in 2002.

To canonically account for Diesel's departure, the short film The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) was produced and released.

Principal photography for 2 Fast 2 Furious commenced in September 2002 and lasted until that December, with filming locations including Miami and the surrounding areas in southern Florida.

[a] He makes a living by street racing, driving his 1999 Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R in events organized by his friend, mechanic Tej Parker.

Initially, Roman distrusts Brian for being a cop and not preventing his own prior arrest, but nonetheless agrees to the same record-clearing deal.

To prevent Markham from undermining the next job, Brian and Roman acquire a 1969 Yenko Camaro SYC and 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T in a pink slip race from two of the drivers who lost Verone's test.

Brian and Roman elude the police in the muscle cars, while Tej and Suki, another street racer, are detained driving the GPS-tagged vehicles to lead the cops away.

It really resonated with our fans, who continued to support the film when it hit the streets on DVD and video—I mean, it really just exploded again, allowing even more people a chance to take the ride.

[8] There were two film treatments submitted early on, one of which did not involve Vin Diesel's character in the event the actor would not return for the sequel.

"[4] However, Diesel reflected on his decision in a July 2014 report from Uproxx, saying: "I would've said, 'Don't walk away from it just because the script sucked in 2 Fast 2 Furious because there's an obligation to the audience to fight, no matter what, to make that film as good as possible.'

[12] Ja Rule, another prominent rap artist who appeared in The Fast and the Furious as Edwin, was originally tapped to reprise his role.

Ja Rule later stated in an interview in 2021 that he was already obligated to go on tour at the time after Vin Diesel and Rob Cohen both declined to be in the movie.

[15] Additional cast also included Cole Hauser as key villain Carter Verone, who appeared in Singleton's Higher Learning; Eva Mendes as undercover agent Monica Fuentes; and Devon Aoki as Suki, the sole female driver in the film.

[26] The film went on to score the fourth-highest June opening weekend, behind Batman Forever, Scooby-Doo and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

[31] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on scale of A+ to F.[32] Todd McCarthy of Variety magazine wrote: "While this John Singleton-directed sequel provides a breezy enough joyride, it lacks the unassuming freshness and appealing neighborhood feel of the economy-priced original.

Club wrote: "Singleton abandons the underground racing subculture that gave the first film its allure, relying instead on lazy thriller plotting that's only a bag of donuts and a freeze-frame away from the average TV cop show.

"[34] USA Today's Mike Clark gave film 2 out of 4, and wrote "The movie is all about racing, and character be damned, though the still dazed-looking Walker and Tyrese finally get a little rapport going after a worn-out story's very rocky start."

"[35] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 and said, "It doesn't have a brain in its head, but it's made with skill and style and, boy, it is fast and furious.

"[36] In 2018, Derek Lawrence of the Entertainment Weekly called it "the forgotten Fast and Furious gem" and praised the chemistry between Walker and Gibson and John Singleton's direction.

Beneath its flashy exterior, the film is filled with simmering mistrust and personal grudges, turning typical action tropes into something more authentic.

Eberi highlights moments of unexpected tenderness and camaraderie, like the playful joy during a car chase, showing Singleton’s unique ability to add depth even to a seemingly second-rate action flick.

"[39] After failing to secure the returns of Diesel, Walker, or any other member of the original cast, Universal ordered a standalone sequel, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006).