The Fast & Furious franchise is now one of the most successful film series revolving around street car racing. In the recent installments, Vin Diesel has been an important figure, but alongside him, there could have been another star.
Which star is being referred to? Originally, Jean-Claude Van Damme was asked if he wanted to participate in The Fast & Furious. In an interview with Telegraph, the Belgian actor revealed that the production team wanted him for the film. However, it was Vin Diesel who vetoed it.
Van Damme could have stood alongside high-profile actors like Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Yet, Vin Diesel reportedly said the following when Van Damme was considered for a possible role:
No, I don’t want him.
allegedly said Vin Diesel, according to Jean-Claude Van Damme at the time
He did not indicate which part of the Fast & Furious series the role would have been for. We might have seen Van Damme in several films of the franchise, but Diesel decided against it. It remains unclear why he opposed Van Damme.
What has Van Damme done instead? By now, we know Van Damme from other film franchises. He appeared as a villain in The Expandables 2, where he had to fight against Hollywood veterans like Sylvester Stallone.
Just this year, a new film in the franchise, The Expandables 4, was released, but Van Damme has not been involved since the third installment. Instead, he has been seen in films like We Die Young, The Last Mercenary, and Black Water.
The “Fast & Furious” franchise has now experienced a slight downward trend in terms of box office earnings.
- Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw grossed according to Box Office Mojo 760 million US dollars.
- For Fast & Furious 9, it was still 726 million US dollars.
- Fast & Furious X earned 704 million US dollars (via boxofficemojo.com).
In the meantime, an eleventh part of the series has been announced, which is set to hit theaters on April 4, 2025. Jean-Claude Van Damme will not be participating in this film either.
Whether Van Damme told the truth in the interview is unclear. However, it would certainly be interesting to know what Vin Diesel would say about it.
The Belgian actor also appears as a skin in Mortal Kombat 1: Mortal Kombat 1: Johnny Cage hits hard in new skin – fans are thrilled with his star casting
