David Ayer may have shot to prominence after penning the screenplay for Academy Award-winning crime thriller Training Day, which then served as the launchpad to a string of spiritual successors that he also directed including Harsh Times, End of Watch, and Street Kings, but his contributions to the Fast & Furious franchise shouldn’t go overlooked or unmentioned.
In what was only his third screenwriting credit after wildly inaccurate submarine drama U-571 and the aforementioned Training Day, the future Suicide Squad director did a rewrite of the initial script by Gary Scott Thompson and Erik Bergquist that proved to be a lot more extensive and ultimately influential than anybody may have realized.
One of the most integral and important aspects of The Fast Saga has always been the perennial focus on the diversity of the ensemble cast, something that dates right back to the 2001 original. However, as revealed by Ayer on Twitter, that might not have been the case had he not been given the opportunity to put his own stamp – inspired by his own experiences – on the material.
When you consider that urban legend states Universal would only green light The Fast and the Furious on the provision that Timothy Olyphant star as Dominic Toretto – which he turned down anyway having recently appeared in the very similar Gone in 60 Seconds – as well as the part of Mia Toretto being written with Eliza Dushku in mind, it’s clear that Ayer’s involvement helped establish the precedent that the franchise is still utilizing to great effect more than 20 years later.