Pallade Veneta - Vin Diesel drives 'Fast and Furious' tribute in Cannes

Vin Diesel drives 'Fast and Furious' tribute in Cannes


Vin Diesel drives 'Fast and Furious' tribute in Cannes
Vin Diesel drives 'Fast and Furious' tribute in Cannes / Photo: Olivier CHASSIGNOLE - AFP

Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez will lead a cast reunion of "The Fast and the Furious" stars on Wednesday in Cannes ahead of a special screening to mark the 25th anniversary of the original movie.

Change text size:

Diesel and Rodriguez posed with fellow actor Jordana Brewster and the daughter of late co-star Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013, at the French film festival Wednesday.

"The Fast and the Furious" will be screened in a midnight slot later in the day, bringing some Hollywood razzle-dazzle to Cannes where US studios are notably absent.

Hollywood majors such as Universal, Disney or Sony, as well as streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, have decided against launching any of their blockbusters on the French Riviera, unlike in previous years.

Reasons for their absence include cost-cutting, a growing preference for tightly controlled social media-led launches, and the risk that a mauling from the Cannes critics can doom a movie.

The first edition of the "The Fast and the Furious", a street-racing thriller, helped launch a franchise that has grossed more than seven billion dollars worldwide, according to industry figures.

Diesel announced on Monday that the concept -- now in its 11th film -- is being adapted into a television series by owner Universal.

A.Graziadei--PV

Featured

Jersey Boys Anniversary Tour Opens in Birmingham With Gritty Account of Crime and Fame

The 20th-anniversary tour of Jersey Boys has opened at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre, offering a gritty and unvarnished look at the Four Seasons’ journey. The production details the band's turbulent rise from New Jersey petty criminals to international rock stars, highlighting the complex personal costs behind their musical success.

UBC professor describes police call after Galloway remark as act of care

VANCOUVER — A University of British Columbia professor has testified about a colleague’s decision to call police to visit Steven Galloway after he was accused of sexual assault, describing it as an “act of care” toward the author, who had spoken of killing himself. Galloway, who is suing his accuser and others in a defamation trial centred on the unproven allegations, has described his subsequent committal to a hospital in the United States as “terrifying.

The Cat in the Hat expands its stakes to cosmic scale in animated reboot

The folks behind the new animated “The Cat in the Hat” are pretty confident they’ve got the cat in the bag. It hasn’t even opened yet and there are onscreen references to possible movie spinoffs for the jet-powered magical couch and The Things.

Lettermen co-founder Tony Butala dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Butala, co-founder of the Grammy-nominated trio The Lettermen, whose lush vocal harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s, died Sunday. He was 87.

Change text size: