So many directors, writers, actors and producers have worked on the Fast and Furious franchise over the years that it is sometimes difficult to remember that things started with the first movie, The Fast and the Furious, back in 2001.
Based on an article about street racers, the original script was conceived by Gary Scott Thompson and Erik Bergquist before David Ayer stepped in to make widespread changes.
The franchise has gone on to become one of the most successful of all time in terms of box office, with Fast X, the tenth film, the most recent feature. Unfortunately for Ayer, it seems he hasn't received credit, both monetary or in terms of reputation, for helping to kick the franchise off.
"Biggest franchise in Hollywood, and I don’t have any of it. I got nothing to show for it, nothing, because of the way the business works," Ayer told Flickering Myth.
"When I got that script, that s*** was set in New York; it was all Italian kids, right? I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m not going to take it unless I can set it in L.A. and make it look like the people I know in L.A., right?'
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"So then I started, like, writing in people of colour, and writing in the street stuff, and writing in the culture, and no one knew s*** about street racing at the time. The narrative is I didn’t do s***, right?
"It’s like people hijack narratives, control narratives, create narratives to empower themselves, right?"
In his career, Ayer has written and directed features like Suicide Squad, Fury, Sabotage and End of Watch.
He believes that his career has actually been hampered by the fact that he tends to stay away from the limelight in Hollywood, away from the party and social scene.
"And because I was always an outsider and because, like, I don’t go to the f****** parties. I don’t go to the meals; I don’t do any of that stuff," he added.
"The people that did were able to control and manage narratives because they’re socialised in that part of the problem. I was never socialised in that part of the problem, so I was always like the dark, creative dude."
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