The 'Fast and Furious' movies have become a billion-dollar franchise with some of the most outrageous stunts committed to film, but residents of one Los Angeles neighbourhood are not happy with the action franchise filming on their street.
Per Variety, residents of the Angelino Heights neighbourhood in Los Angeles are planning a protest on the set of the new 'Fast and Furious' film this week.
Angelino Heights is the filming location for Don Toretto's house, along with the local shop Bob's Market, but residents are planning a protest on the set this week as they say the film glamourises illegal street racing and causes inconvenience for local residents as fans flock to the filming locations.
“If this film shoot is allowed to go forward in Angelino Heights, we will stage a huge protest and will invite many reporters and news cameras to film us protesting this film shoot all day and night,” a statement from a resident to the Los Angeles City Council reads.
"We will hold this protest to honour the 178 people who have been killed by street racers in Los Angeles, and to shame Universal for their callous disregard for this deadly epidemic of street racing their films started and continue to promote."
Residents of Angelino Heights spoke to Variety, and they said while they don't have a problem with their neighbourhood being used for filming purposes, they said it has become a major hassle in their lives.
The Variety piece cites Hellen Kim and Robert Howard, a married couple that live in the area, and says that the open area in front of Bob's Market draws street racers who practice donuts and ramp up their engines, creating noise and smoke.
The article notes that the council erected some barriers in the area to deter wannabe Don Toretto's, but many of the drivers simply moved to a nearby street or continue to drive around the barriers.
An unnamed resident told Variety "the fact that these people can find the actual spot and then just go torment the people living there is irresponsible"
"Of course they (Universal) didn’t know when they made the movie that it would be such a cultural phenomenon."
'Fast X' will be released in April 2023, with Oscar winner Brie Larson joining the cast.
The 'Fast and Furious' franchise has gone from humble roots as a street racing franchise on the streets of Los Angeles to an international almost 'James Bond' levels of globetrotting and hijinks in recent films.
The films have racked up billions of dollars, with the last three films racking up a combined box office gross of $3.4 billion dollars worldwide, making it one of the biggest franchises in film.
