David Ayer, the writer-producer-director, recently revealed that he has “nothing to show” for writing the 2001 film “The Fast and the Furious,” which kicked off the immensely successful franchise. During an episode of Jon Bernthal’s podcast, Ayer spoke candidly about his experience with the film, which was based on a 1998 Vibe magazine article.
Despite the enormous success and cultural impact of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, Ayer feels that he has been left with nothing to show for his contribution. He explained, “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.” Though Gary Scott Thompson and Erik Bergquist wrote drafts of the script, Ayer claims that he was the one who added diversity and street racing culture to the screenplay.
Ayer recalled that when he initially received the script, the story was set in New York and centered around Italian kids. However, Ayer insisted on setting the film in Los Angeles and infusing it with the culture and diversity of the city. He said, “I’m not gonna take it unless I can set it in L.A. and make it look like the people I know in L.A., right? So then I started, like, writing in people of color, and writing in the street stuff, and writing in the culture, and no one knew shit about street racing at the time.”
To bring authenticity to the film, Ayer immersed himself in the street racing community. He visited a shop in the Valley where he met with the pioneers of fuel injection tuning, who had just discovered how to hack the fuel curves for the injectors. Ayer was fascinated by their work and decided to incorporate it into the movie.
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Despite Ayer’s contributions, he feels that the narrative surrounding his involvement with the franchise is that he didn’t do much. He believes that certain individuals hijack and control narratives to empower themselves, and because he was always an outsider who didn’t partake in industry events and socializing, he was unable to control the narrative surrounding his work.
This isn’t the first time Ayer has faced tension with Hollywood executives. He has also been vocal about his issues with the 2016 film “Suicide Squad.” As a result, Ayer now prioritizes creative freedom in the projects he takes on and is self-rescuing his career. He understands that he needs to create an environment that allows him to be creatively safe and is taking charge of his own destiny.
Ultimately, Ayer’s comments shed light on the challenges and frustrations faced by creatives in the industry. The business side of filmmaking often overshadows the artistic contributions made by writers and directors, leaving them feeling undervalued and underappreciated. Ayer’s experience serves as a reminder of the importance of recognizing and celebrating the creative minds behind successful films and franchises.
