The first film, based on the 1998 Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li and written by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, was released in 2001.

Brian O'Conner, who is now living in Miami, teams up with Roman Pierce, his estranged childhood friend, to go undercover for the U.S. Customs Service to bring down drug lord Carter Verone in exchange for the erasure of their criminal records.

High school car enthusiast Sean Boswell is sent to live in Tokyo with his father in order to avoid time in prison and finds solace in the city's drifting community.

Despite not appearing in the film, a picture of Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz is seen in the mid-credits scene, where Eva Mendes reprises her role as Monica Fuentes from 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Jason Statham appears as Owen's older brother Deckard Shaw in the credits scene, seemingly killing Han, as seen in Tokyo Drift.

Dominic Toretto, Brian O'Conner, and their team are recruited by covert ops leader Mr. Nobody to prevent terrorist Mose Jakande from obtaining a hacking program.

The film is set after the events of Fast & Furious 6 and continues from the ending of Tokyo Drift, with Lucas Black reprising his role as Sean Boswell.

Jason Statham appears as Deckard Shaw in the mid-credits scene, while Jordana Brewster returns to the franchise in her role of Mia Toretto, along with Sung Kang as Han Lue, who is revealed to be alive, and Lucas Black as Sean Boswell.

[10] While Fast X led the development of the eleventh film,[11] its budget and modest box office performance meant that the project's continuation would serve as a finale.

[5] In November 2019, producer Hiram Garcia confirmed that all creatives involved have intentions in developing a sequel to Hobbs & Shaw, with conversations regarding the project ongoing.

[15] Garcia confirmed the project was in active development a month later, citing the box office performance of Hobbs & Shaw, and announced Chris Morgan would return to write.

[18] In November 2021, Johnson revealed that he had developed an original idea for the sequel, which he described as "the antithesis of Fast & Furious" and that he presented the concept to Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley, as well as Garcia and Morgan.

[33] Soon thereafter, Cohen and Moritz brought him the Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li, published in May 1998, which detailed underground street racing operating in New York City,[1] and suggested a story set to follow Walker as an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating the world of underground street racing in Los Angeles inspired by the article.

To account for these changes, Universal commissioned the writers to create a standalone sequel with Walker in the lead and brought in John Singleton as the new director.

Tyrese Gibson, who worked with Singleton on the film Baby Boy (2001), was hired as Walker's new co-star[33] for what was also the first entry in the series to feature long-running cast member Ludacris.

The third film marked the first appearance in the Fast & Furious franchise of Han Lue, portrayed by Sung Kang, a character who originated from Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow.

[38][39] Moreover, with Tokyo Drift, the series was able to bring Diesel in for a cameo appearance, in exchange for letting the actor's production company acquire the rights to the Riddick character.

[42] Away from the franchise, Diesel made a string of box office or critical flops, including The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), The Pacifier (2005) and Find Me Guilty (2006), but his cameo in Tokyo Drift generated interest in reviving the series.

[42] After signing Diesel and confirming the return of Lin, Universal worked to track the first film's original co-stars and re-signed Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster in mid-2008.

Fast Five is considered the transitional film in the series, featuring only one car race and giving more attention to action set pieces such as gun fights, brawls and the heist.

Fast Five was initially conceived to conclude the franchise, but following positive reception at test screenings, alongside its eventual strong critical and commercial performance, Universal proceeded to develop a sixth film.

[44][45][46] In late 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that Universal was approaching the sixth and seventh installment with a single storyline running through both films, with Morgan envisaging themes of freedom and family,[47] but later shifted to account for the studio's wishes to incorporate elements of espionage.

[54] The toll of multiple re-shoots dissuaded Wan from returning to the franchise and Universal hired F. Gary Gray to helm the eighth film, The Fate of the Furious.

[61] Moreover, Sung Kang returned as Han, while the film is the first to star Helen Mirren and saw Lucas Black reprise his role as Sean Boswell from Tokyo Drift.

[127] In the queue, guests pass through a garage with memorabilia from the films before getting a video call from Tej Parker and Mia Toretto inviting them to a party.

Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian wrote "large sections of seating were closed off; entire rows in the rest of it were empty" and "the only danger in Fast & Furious Live is the audience might die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"[133] Adam White of The Daily Telegraph gave the show a two out of five rating, commenting that "Fast & Furious Live often feels like an elaborate if lethargic playground game, one hinging almost entirely on imagination.

[143] In 2017, the vehicular soccer game Rocket League released a downloadable content (DLC) pack in promotion for The Fate of the Furious, where players would be able to purchase the Dodge Charger from the film as well as its exclusive wheels and six other new customizations.

In November 2022, streetwear retailer Dumbgood collaborated with Fast & Furious on a legacy collection featuring t-shirts, shirts, and track pants containing moments and characters from the films.

[167] According to the LA Times, there are some Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers who blame the Fast & Furious films for popularizing street racing in the city.