The Fast and the Furious franchise takes to the road with a live arena show

By Rick Marshall February 8, 2017

fast furious 6 car jump — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With the eighth film in the Fast and the Furious movie franchise hitting theaters in a few months and more than $3.8 billion in worldwide ticket sales for the series so far, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Universal Pictures is considering some creative ways to expand the universe of the blockbuster action series.

This week, the studio announced plans to partner with live-show producers Brand Events to launch a Fast & Furious Live arena tour inspired by the films. The shows promises to recreate some of the physics-defying stunts — vehicular and otherwise — that are a hallmark of the Fast and the Furious movies, and the tour will be produced by the same team that created the Top Gear Live series of live racing and stunt shows.

According to the official press release for the Fast & Furious Live events, the shows will recreate the streets of the Los Angeles underground racing scene, as well as other locations around the globe, using a combination of physical sets and digital projection technology. Performers will then revisit some of the stunts that made the films such a success, and the show promises to let audiences “feel the heat from flaming exhausts and marvel at mind-blowing vehicular acrobatics.”

“Fast & Furious Live will transform the live-entertainment industry in the same way the global box-office franchise has redefined the action genre,” said Vince Klaseus, president of Universal brand development, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Fans will experience everything they love about the films in an up-close and incredibly cool live show, putting them in the center of the action.”

Show co-producer James Cooke-Priest described the tour as “the most spectacular live-automotive production in history.”

The tour is expected to kick off in January 2018. The next film in the franchise, The Fate of the Furious, arrives in theaters April 14. A ninth film is currently scheduled to premiere April 19, 2019, with a 10th to follow on April 2, 2021.

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