For years, some of the most successful film franchises in Hollywood have featured fast cars. For instance, the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise has earned more than $5.9 billion in the box office so far. At the same, you also have the ‘Transformers’ franchise which has made over $4.8 billion worldwide.
Before these films got popular though, there was the ‘Transporter’ franchise, which stars Jason Statham, an actor who is arguably the complete action movie package. The first film came out in 2002 and three more ‘Transporter’ films have been released since.
Even today, the franchise continues to have some devoted fans. And while there is no word on whether another ‘Transporter’ film would ever be produced, we thought it would be fun to go over some interesting facts about the franchise:
15 The Part Of Frank Martin Was Specifically Written For Jason Statham
Writer and producer Luc Besson told BBC, “I know Steve [Chasman]. He came to me and we spoke about Jason and how good he is physically, because of his background in martial arts and boxing. We had lunch together in Paris and after that I came up with an idea for a story and we put it all together.”
14 Jason Statham Preferred To Do His Own Stunts As Much As Possible
“Well, there are always plenty of physical demands in an action movie. But I tend to do all my own stunts as much as they allow me to do,” Statham told IndieLondon. “I do all my own fight routines. They are not dangerous necessarily so there is no need to get a stunt man involved with that.”
13 Actress Shu Qi Didn’t Bother To Learn English For The Film
The Taiwanese actress told 8 Days, “I didn’t learn English and I could still film The Transporter. So it’s not a big problem.” And when she was asked why she wouldn’t learn English, she explained, “Why must I learn English? Why don’t they learn Chinese?” The actress was only featured in the first ‘Transporter’ film.
12 When Kate Nauta Was Considered For Transporter 2, She Wasn’t Really Looking For An Acting Gig
“I wasn't looking to be an actress ... it fell in my lap…,” Nauta told MTV. “He made a phone call to [my agency] and asked of my whereabouts. He was flying through New York, so we sat down and properly introduced each other and he told me about the character and asked, 'Are you up for the challenge?'”
11 For Transporter 2, A Scene Where Frank Martin Breaks Someone’s Leg Was Cut Because Of The PG-13 Rating
“There is a part where a guy tries to kick me, his leg comes through the bar and I crack his leg or break his leg, but we can’t show that because it won’t make the ratings,” Statham revealed while speaking with IndieLondon. “It’s a shame to eliminate the kids from seeing it because there is some great fun stuff…”
10 The Jet Ski Scene In Transporter 2 Was Done Without Safety Rigs
“There was a close shave when I jumped from the jet ski to the back of this moving bus, there was nowhere to put any safety rigs,” Statham recalled while speaking with IndieLondon. “Two vehicles traveling at 30 miles an hour independently so it can be a little bit hairy jumping from the back of one to the other.”
9 Early On, Transporter Director Louis Leterrier Saw The Franchise’s Potential To Become A TV Show
"If it's not successful, or fairly successful, maybe we'll do a TV show,” Leterrier told IGN. “It would be a good idea for a TV show. The transporter, every week, he gets a new package or something.” Well, a tv show based on the films eventually came out. Unfortunately, TNT decided to cancel it after two seasons.
8 They Worked With Three Audi A8 Cars During The Production Of Transporter 2 And One Broke Down During The First Day Of Filming
“It was very difficult… We didn't have that many cars. [It was a] medium-sized movie so we had only three cars,” Leterrier told IGN. “Of course, we broke one the first day. At one point we jumped, and there on the beach, was the engine… Somewhere in America, there is an A8 engine free, if you guys wanna buy it.”
7 The Crew Continued Filming Transporter 2 Despite Experiencing Hurricanes
Statham told IGN, “There were windy hurricanes, and intense, 100-degree weather. Running around in the open sun wearing a black suit is not the ideal wardrobe.” Leterrier added, “There were like two, three units going at once. I had to be on several of them. I was going nuts re-lighting stuff. It was insane.”
6 While Filming Transporter 2, Actress Kate Nauta Got Hit By Shrapnel And Required Stitches
Nauta told MTV, “Jason and I were doing a scene and a piece of scrap metal — from the explosions in the house and my guns going off — hit me in the back of my knee. Three nice pieces of metal.” Statham added, “That was a nasty cut; she had a couple stitches in there.”
5 Even For Transporter 3, The Production Crew Had To Work With A Limited Budget
“James Bond cost $220 million, for instance, so basically there’s no limit to what they can do. We ain’t got the money to do that, so we have to do it for real and shoot it through the camera because we can’t say, “Oh no, we can sort that with CGI,” Statham told TimeOut.
4 Cars Used In The Films Had To Be Modified For Chase Scenes
“Basically, if you do use an Audi, like we did in Transporter 3, they have to take out all the brain that controls it, the slip differential, the track-cam and all that,” Statham told Home Cinema Choice in an interview. “Then they juice up the horsepower a little bit and they tighten the suspension.”
3 The Scene With The Audi And Trucks In Transporter 3 Involved Actual Filmed Footage, Not Just CGI
“They film the two trucks, and the car goes between them. But they film it from different angles so that they can allow for the space in between the trucks to look a minimum. There's a certain amount of camera trickery but it's not like it's all CGI,” Statham told Home Cinema Choice. “That scene is all in-camera.
2 Writer Luc Besson Handpicked The Directors For The First Three Transporter Films
“The director's Oliver Megaton, and the fact of the matter is, he is very fresh,” Statham told Home Cinema Choice while discussing “Transporter 3.” “Hand picked by Luc Besson, who picks every director we get to work with. I have great memories of working with Louis Leterrier and this is a similar sort of situation.”
1 In Transporter 3, There Were Supposed To Be More People Involved In The Garage Fight Scene
“It was pretty tight, but we worked around it,” Statham told TimeOut, “When that fight was planned, there were going to be something like 18 guys, but we had to cut it down to ten because it was just too unrealistic. But it’s still a lot of people in not a lot of space with props flying around the place.’”