Hollywood has created countless films with thrilling car chases. And let us not overlook Vin Diesel’s action movie, The Fast and the Furious from 2001. It was a success in part because it followed the formula of attractive people driving attractive cars at high speeds. The Fast and the Furious stood out, thanks to its intense street racing sequences and, more importantly, its cast’s chemistry. 

Nothing prevented the makers of The Fast and the Furious from turning the 2001 movie into a franchise after its enormous success. Did you know that Vin Diesel was given a $25 million contract for 2 Fast 2 Furious as the series’ main protagonist, but he turned it down?

The sequel, starring Paul Walker, was still created by the makers. The movie, which was directed by John Singleton, also featured Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, and James Remar, among others.

Vin Diesel Declined The Invitation To Join The Fast And Furious Again

The 2003 film, 2 Fast 2 Furious, helmed by John Singleton, received mixed reviews from critics. The most impressive aspect of that was that, while one of the main leads, Paul Walker was present, Vin Diesel wasn’t. 

The actor, who is best known for his role as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and Furious series, later joined the franchise again, but he turned down a role in 2 Fast 2 Furious for an intriguing reason. According to reports, the actor was offered $25 million to star in 2 Fast 2 Furious, but he declined because he did not like the script or where the series was going.

He informed Hashtag Legend that he thought the first movie was a classic, but:

“After I made the first one, I remember being in a room full of big CEOs and the people who owned the franchise…One of the guys said to me, ‘We have to do this again’. I remember telling everyone at the table, ‘You can’t do this again. You can’t touch it. You have to leave it alone’.”

The actor, now 56, further added: 

“I was an idealist and, to me, the script wasn’t continuing the story… They were capitalizing on the brand and milking the success of it as long as they could.”

In the third installment, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Vin Diesel made an uncredited cameo as Dominic Toretto. Later, he made a comeback in Fast & Furious 4 (a 2009 film), the fourth entry in the action film series. 

Vin Diesel Was Not The Only Actor To Decline 2 Fast 2 Furious

Rapper, Ja Rule portrayed a character named Edwin in the first movie, who competed in the opening race alongside Brian and Dom. If you are familiar with these movies, you can recall that Monica, a young woman, approached Edwin before the race and offered him a night out with her whether he would have won or lost. 

Edwin was allegedly slated for a much bigger role in 2 Fast 2 Furious,” according to reports. But Ja Rule claimed in a 2002 interview that he declined the film because:

“I just felt it was not the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now.”

However, the real story, according to 2 Fast 2 Furious director, John Singleton, was as follows:

“Ja got too big for himself. He turned it down. He turned down a half a million dollars. He got 15 grand to be in the first movie. He was really big at that time. I guess Murder Inc. was throwing out hits and were making money hand over foot. He was acting like he was too big to be in the sequel. He wouldn’t return calls. I went to the studio to go see him — that’s just my mantra, I deal with a lot of music people. He was kinda playing me to the side and I was like, ‘What? What is this s***?’”

Despite receiving mostly unfavorable reviews from critics, 2 Fast 2 Furious made $236.4 million worldwide. 

Fast X, also known as Fast & Furious 10, the tenth film in the series, recently hit theaters. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, praising its action scenes and Jason Momoa‘s performance while criticizing the writing and direction. 

2 Fast 2 Furious is currently streaming on Netflix.