The American Fast and the Furious actions films have a combined gross of over $5 billion and is one of Universal Pictures biggest franchises. The first film titled ‘The Fast and the Furious’ came out in 2001 which followed with to date seven sequels. Below we take a look at all the filming locations of all eight films to date.
The films came about after the late Paul Walker told director Rob Cohen and producer Neal H. Moritz that his dream project would be a mash-up of Days of Thunder and Donnie Brasco. After seeing an article about undercover street racing in New York City, the idea blossomed. Paul Walkers character was to be a cop who infiltrates the underground street racing in Los Angeles. The first film exceeded box office expectations so the sequels began.
Below we take a look at each film and including their filming locations.
‘The Fast and the Furious’ – Released in 2001
The first film was a box office hit and was shot almost exclusively in and around Los Angeles, California in the United States. It was directed by Rob Cohen and written by Gary Scott Thompson and David Ayer.
The opening scene was filmed on the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach California. It is the second-busiest container port in the United States. The night hijacking was also in Long Beach at the Terminal Island freeway.
Dominic Toretto’s Market & Cafe is actually ‘Bob’s Market’ on 580 East Kensington Road, Los Angeles. His white wood framed house can be found at 720 East Kensington Road, Los Angeles.
The racers edge was on 1050 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles. The scene where they get together before the race was filmed in Clock Street. The start of the race was at Prairie Avenue & West 120th Street, Hawthorne.
The Asian motorcycle gang scenes were filmed in an area of the Orange County known as “Little Saigon” in the city of Westminster, California.
The statues from the temple like area can be found at the Vietnamese Cultural Court at 9221 Bolsa Avenue in Westminster.
For the location of Tran’s house and many more locations with maps head over to this page: http://www.themoviedistrict.com/the-fast-and-the-furious/
‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ – Released in 2003
The second film was directed by John Singleton and written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. The film was based on a story by screenwriter and producer Gary Scott Thompson.
Most of the filming for the second film was in and around South Florida such as Miami Beach, Seven Mile Bridge, Biscayne Blvd, and Homestead Air Reserve Base. Hauser’s character’s mansion was shot in Coral Gables, which was a property owned by Sylvester Stallone.
‘The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’ – Released in 2006
The third installment was directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. Out of all of the films this is the only one that doesn’t star Vin Diesel or Paul Walker as the lead.
The filming was mainly done in California with some Locations in Japan. The exterior of Sean’s dad’s house can be found on a narrow street on the eastern fringe of the Azabu-Jūban district in the Minato area of Tokyo. The rooftop soccer field is in Futsal Court, overlooking Shibuya Square in Tokyo, Japan
Many of the scenes were filmed in California but with digitally added ‘Tokyo’ night-time views. Such as the scene where Sean gets to meet all the kids. This garage is Hawthorne Plaza Mall, at 120th Street, Hawthorne, South of Los Angeles.
Han performing donuts around two women at a Downtown ‘Tokyo’ intersection which is actually Wilshire Boulevard between Grand Avenue and Flower Street in Downtown LA. It is also the same spot where Han gets killed at the end of the movie.
‘Fast & Furious’ – Released in 2009
The fourth film was directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan and sees the return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The filming locations were Los Angeles, California and Mexico and some studio work in Sylmar and Culver Studios. The post-heist celebration beach party was filmed on the coast near San Pedro, south of Los Angeles.
The impressive gas tanker heist was filmed along Templin Highway to the North of Los Angeles.
The FBI HQ can be found at Hall of Administration at 310 West Green Street, in Pasadena.
To learn more of the locations for this film, head over to this page which have lots of other locations http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/f/Fast-And-Furious.php
‘Fast Five’ – Released in 2011
‘Fast Five’ which is also aknown as Fast & Furious 5 or Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist was directed again by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. Starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker again they filmed in Brazil and Puerto Rico, California and Georgia in the United States.
Once Brian and Mia rescue Dominic Toretto from the prison bus they head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You can see Sugarloaf Mountain, the view of the bay from the Dona Marta lookout point, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer.
Many of the action scenes including the finale chase sequence were filmed on the streets of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan.
The warehouse in which the old team gathers is actually in Atlanta, Georgia. The location is the old disused Pratt-Pullman Yard on Rogers Street at DeKalb Avenue NE on Atlanta’s near-Eastside.
‘Fast & Furious 6’ – Released in 2013
The sixth film again starred Vin Diesel and Paul Walker and was directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. The filming was shot mainly in the UK and the Spanish Canary Islands. Locations include London, Scotland, Suffolk and Hertfordshire. Some shots were also filmed in California
It starts with Brian and his partner happily settled with Jordana about to give birth. The race scene was filmed on the road between Buenavista del Norte and Punta de Teno in Tenerife, Spain.
The attack on the convoy in the ‘Moscow’ scenes were actually filmed in London’s Lambeth Bridge at Millbank, SW1. The ‘Russian’ Interpol HQ was actually the University of London Union, on Malet Street at Montague Place in Bloomsbury, WC1 London.
The arms dealers pawn shop can be found behind the railway arch at the end of Hare Row, off Cambridge Heath Road in London.
One of the main chase sequences was filmed around Broomielaw, Cadogan Street and Wellington Street in Glasgow, Scotland. The car showroom into which they crash was a set built on a vacant lot at the corner of McAlpine Street.
Shaw’s hideout is actually Empress Coaches on Corbridge Crescent, alongside the canal in Cambridge Heath, East London.
The green-and-white tiled subway in which Letty and Hicks slug it out is actually the abandoned Aldwych Station on The Strand which closed in 1994. Today the station is used for filming and we offer a Aldwych Station tour where you can learn all about the history of this abandoned station.
You can visit many all of the London locations by going on our London Film Locations Tour here.
‘Furious 7’ – Released in 2015
The seventh Fast & Furious film was directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson. This was one of the films which Paul Walker was filming when he died. Paul, alongside his friend and driver Roger Rodas, both died in a car crash on November 30, 2013. The car was said to be doing over 100 miles per hour in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California when it crashed and burst into flames. The film was completed by using his brothers Caleb and Cody as his body doubles and CGI
The Race Wars meeting was filmed in the southern California desert at Lancaster, on Route 138.
The home of Toretto is still 722 East Kensington Road in Echo Park, which was shown in previous films. The parcel that explodes and destroys he house was all CGI so the home can still be visited.
Han’s funeral scene was filmed at Oakland Cemetery at 248 Oakland Avenue SE, Atlanta. As the funeral ends a car chase ensues, this was filmed back in LA on 6th Street Bridge and through the industrial area southeast of downtown LA.
For move movie location from this film head over to this page:
http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/f/Fast-And-Furious-7.php
‘The Fate of the Furious’ – Released in 2017
The final film to date was directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. Filming took place in Ohio, Cuba, Iceland, New York City and Georgia.
Most of the action took place in Cleveland which was made to look like New York City. The cars falling out of the parking structure took place at Halle Bros Parking Garage, where CGI was used to alter the nearby roads.
The race starts in the street nearby El Curita Park, Cuba. Lake Mývatn in Iceland is where the large submarine chase took place. The harbour in Akranes, Iceland was the location for the large explosions at the prison scene.
The scene where cars are seen flying out and exploding from a warehouse was filmed beside the Hudson River in New York City.
Some of the locations are real locations such as when the cars drive past Times Square on Broadway and 5th Avenue in New York.
The Berlin scene where the team is seen fleeing took place at the Guardian Centers, which is a natural disaster training site in
Guardian Centers in Perry, Georgia was used in the Berlin scene where the team is seen fleeing.
