Production Set to Begin on "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"  9/29/05

PRODUCTION SET TO BEGIN ON 'THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT'

LUCAS BLACK HEADS ENSEMBLE CAST IN FILM DIRECTED BY JUSTIN LIN

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Principal photography is set to begin in October on Universal Pictures' "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," the third installment in the motion pictures series built on speed. Acclaimed young filmmaker Justin Lin -- who made a splash with the 2002 independent feature and Sundance hit "Better Luck Tomorrow" and directed the upcoming release "Annapolis" -- will direct the film, which will be produced by Neal H. Moritz, who served in the same capacity on both the global blockbuster hits "The Fast and the Furious" and "2 Fast 2 Furious." Clayton Townsend will be the executive producer.

Lucas Black, who won wide acclaim in last year's "Friday Night Lights" and will next be seen opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx in Sam Mendes' "Jarhead," will lead the ensemble cast of the film. Black has also been seen in "Sling Blade," "All The Pretty Horses" and "Cold Mountain."

Joining Black in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is the recording artist and actor Bow Wow ("Roll Bounce" and "Like Mike"). Additional cast members include Brian Tee ("Austin Powers In Goldmember" and "We Were Soldiers"), Sung Kang ("Antwone Fisher" and "Better Luck Tomorrow"), Jason Tobin ("The Hot Chick" and "Better Luck Tomorrow") and newcomer Nathalie Kelley.

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is written by Chris Morgan ("Cellular") and Kario Salem ("The Score"), who place the third entry in Tokyo. In this adrenalized new story, set in the sexy, underground world of Japanese drift racing, the newest and fastest customized rides go head-to-head on some of the most perilous courses ever seen.

The original film and its follow-up reached box office heights in theaters around the globe. "The Fast and the Furious" earned $207,409,603 in cumulative worldwide box office sales and "2 Fast 2 Furious" outscored the original, taking in $236,222,077 worldwide. Together, both DVD titles have sold more than 20 million units.

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" follows the story of Shaun Boswell, who has always been a gaijin, or outsider. A loner at school, his only connection to the indifferent world around him is through illegal street racing -- which has made him particularly unpopular with the local authorities. To avoid jail time, Shaun is sent out of the country to live with his military father in a cramped apartment in a low-rent section of Tokyo.

In the land that gave birth to the majority of modified racers on the road, the simple street race has been replaced by the ultimate pedal-to-the-metal, gravity-defying automotive challenge-drift racing, a deadly combination of brutal speed on heart-stopping courses with hairpin turns and switchbacks.

In his first unsuccessful foray into the world of drift racing, Shaun unknowingly takes on D.K., the "Drift King," with ties to the Yakuza, the Japanese crime machine. The only way Shaun can pay off the debt from his loss is to venture into the deadly realm of the Tokyo underworld, where the stakes are life and death.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, director Justin Lin grew up in Orange County, California, and graduated with a degree in film from UCLA. His distinctive viewpoint gives voice to the Asian-American experience, and his versatility as a film craftsman has allowed him to simultaneously serve in numerous capacities on his films. His reputation as an up-and-coming filmmaker of note was cemented with the 2002 feature "Better Luck Tomorrow," which he directed, co-wrote, produced (along with Julie Asato and Ernesto Foronda) and edited. The film, about a group of over-achieving Asian-American high school seniors who venture into crime, received a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and he (along with co-writer/producer Foronda, co-writer Fabian Marquez and producer Asato) was nominated for a John Cassavetes Award at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. Lin is also attached to direct "Strangers," which Vertigo Entertainment is producing for Focus Features, as well as the Vertigo Entertainment/Universal Pictures' film "Old Boy," a remake of a Korean-language action thriller. Lin is currently in postproduction on the Touchstone feature "Annapolis," starring James Franco, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster.

Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal. 

SOURCE Universal Pictures

-0- 09/29/2005