InDOMitable First Look at 'Fast & Furious 7'

Monday, 16 September 2013 06:07 Written by Jordan DeSaulnier

Rate this item

(2 votes)

InDOMitable First Look at 'Fast & Furious 7'

The first official look at Fast & Furious 7 features no fastness and, at best, moderate furiousness.

But since it has Vin Diesel and Paul Walker looking pensive, it reminds us all just how far Brian and Dom have come. In fact, it reminds us how far we've all come since the halcyon days when Brian was an undercover cop pulling a Johnny Utah on Dom and his family of racing thieves.

In the words of Diane Warren, it's been a long road getting from there to here. This first look at the seventh The Fast and the Furious entry even has an old covered bridge. For symbolism.

Actually, Dom and Brian both look like they've received some bad news here. Hopefully a member of the Fast 5 and Furious 6 hasn't bit the dust as Jason Statham's Shaw sibling comes calling to avenge his brother, the villain in the last movie. Based on the tease that capped off Furious 6, Shaw's primary beef is with Toretto, but he's happy to mow through the hard-driving hero's compatriots. Brian in particular looks like he's grappling with some serious business here. And since he and Dom are basically in love, Brian's a high-value target.

This Fast & Furious 7 image comes from behind the scenes, courtesy of Diesel and his busy facebook. Production on the sequel is now underway in Atlanta, Georgia in order to meet a July 11, 2014 release date. Since principal photography just started, Diesel's photo update was accompanied by the caption, "The unknown road ahead..."

After four consecutive automotive adventures, Justin Lin left the Fast franchise following Furious 6, citing concerns over that 2014 release date. With the golden egg-laying goose gone, Universal Pictures is looking to James Wan to helm the next installment of its biggest series.

Wan's latest, Insidious Chapter 2, just made a whole lot of money in its first weekend of release. Between that and this summer's The Conjuring, the man who directed the first Saw movie is on a roll. His previous credits also include the revenge tale Death Sentence, which suggests his Fast & Furious will be boiled down and packed with practical effects.

IAR recently spoke to Wan in an exclusive video interview that you can view by clicking right here.

Lin ratcheted up the action to sublimely ludicrous levels in Furious 6. While this is still an action franchise, we're hoping that Wan changes up the approach. Attempting to simply go bigger isn't going to get the job done, but if Statham's on the warpath and characters are in jeopardy, the stakes are high enough to scale back a bit.

Diesel and Walker lead a cast that includes many returning franchise actors like Tyrese Gibson. In addition to the usual actors, Fast & Furious 7 also adds Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey, and maybe even Kurt Russell. Last week, Djimon Hounsou joined the ensemble.

Stay tuned for some official word on the full cast. And remember: ride or die.