Ready to drive like Dom Toretto? Because very soon, you can.
Universal Studios Hollywood has announced what many already knew – that a brand-new rollercoaster based on the “Fast & Furious” film franchise will begin construction soon. An opening date for the attraction or any concrete details remain elusive.
The official statement about the attraction reads (in a sentence almost as long as the franchise itself): “Equipped with a state-of-the-art ride system uniquely created to engulf guests within the dynamic ‘Fast & Furious’ universe, this all-new roller coaster will benefit from Universal Destinations & Experiences’ decades-long expertise in revolutionizing the development of the contemporary roller coaster across its global theme park destinations.”
According to persistent online rumors, the attraction will begin at the upper lot and then, somehow, weave down the mountain. One version of the proposed attraction has it going underneath the Starcase, the extremely long, can-see-it-from-the-Burbank-airport escalators that run alongside the mountain, connecting the upper lot (home to things like The Simpsons Ride and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) to the lower lot (where you can experience Super Nintendo World and Jurassic World: The Ride). Fun fact: it supposedly takes a full 14 minutes to ride the Starcase from beginning to end.
The new “Fast & Furious”-themed attraction is the latest in the bold reinvention of Universal Studios Hollywood, which operated largely as a working studio with its world-famous tram tour, but in recent years has transitioned to a more full-bodied theme park experience, with the West Coast version of the Wizarding World and, earlier this year, the first phase of Super Nintendo World. The evolution of Universal Studios Hollywood will continue aggressively over the next few years, with new attractions and experiences planned throughout the park.
This isn’t the first “Fast & Furious” experience to open at Universal Studios Hollywood. In 2015 Fast & Furious: Supercharged opened as part of the Studio Tour. Housed in the former Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb tunnel, it features wraparound screens that depict an action scene straight out of one of the movies. It influenced the rest of the tour, too, with Hobbs (the Dwyane Johnson character) breaking into the on-board video on the trams themselves. That element was later removed. Later, that section of the Studio Tour was turned into its own attraction at Universal Studios Orlando (also called Fast & Furious: Supercharged).
The latest entry in the “Fast & Furious” saga, this summer’s “Fast X,” has made nearly $725 million worldwide. An eleventh movie is currently in the works, with another planned spin-off featuring Johnson’s character. The sun never sets on the “Fast & Furious” empire.
