'The Fast and the Furious' turns 20 this year and the 'F9' stars are looking back

The Fast and the Furious turns 20 this year, and Vin Diesel and the rest of the cast of the franchise's ninth installment, F9, are looking back on the franchise and reflecting on its success and its influence, as well as its twists and turns.

Video Transcript

- Let's go for a little ride.

- Go!

KEVIN POLOWY: Before we get to "F9," I want to rewind the clock for a minute since the very first "Fast and Furious" movie actually turns 20 this month. So as someone who's been on the team since the very beginning, just going back in time for a second. What were your expectations back then? Did you have any idea it had this kind of potential that 20 years later you'd be making number nine?

JORDANA BREWSTER: No, I didn't think back then that it was going to turn into this thing that would then evolve into nine chapters and that I would be working on it 20 years from back then. So no, it's been a crazy, crazy journey.

VIN DIESEL: When the first movie was released, it was a modest budget movie. And it was about a niche illegal street car racing. It wasn't something that was super popular or global. When the movie was released, I remember we were shocked that they moved the movie to the summer. I didn't know what that meant at that time. But I later was told that that's a sign that they feel like it's a summer hit.

The movie comes out and they start talking about wanting to sequelize it. And I was of the impression that like the '90s, if you would sequelize a movie, you've destroyed the possibility of that film being a classic. So I said don't make a sequel to this, and they did anyway.

And then they came to me at "Tokyo Drift" and said, we don't plan to make any more "Fast and Furious" movies unless you produce them. And I called Paul Walker, who was no longer in the franchise, and he said, if you're producing, I'm in. And I had this whole big speech. And he cut me off and didn't let me deliver my big speech or why it was going to be so important to do.

KEVIN POLOWY: This series is doing something really unique in keeping the spirit of your late co-star and brother Paul Walker alive by literally keeping Brian alive in the story. How did you guys arrive at that decision that Brian would remain with us even if Paul wasn't still with us in the physical?

VIN DIESEL: Well, what we know, and what we know from every day of breathing is that he is always with us. That's probably the most profound thing and not something that I would have been able to confirmed seven and 1/2 years ago.

And who would think that a movie could keep somebody's spirit? Who would ever imagine that? When you see a nod like the end of "Fate of the Furious," him being named-- my son being named after Brian.

- Everyone, meet Brian.

[APPLAUSE]

VIN DIESEL: When you parallel that with my real life and see my daughter named after him, those are homages. But when you see the end of "Fast 9," that's something even bigger. I promise, that's something special. That's something that potentially could be the best thing we've ever done.