Category: ENTERTAINMENT

A television series based on the blockbuster “Fast & Furious” movie franchise is being developed for the Peacock streaming service, NBCUniversal said on Monday. Vin Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto in the films, announced that the series was coming to the small screen at a presentation to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall.

At the event, Diesel said four TV shows were in the works. An NBCUniversal press release ‌distributed later ‌in the day listed only one “Fast & Furious” show ‌in ⁠development.

The actor said ⁠he was initially hesitant to commit to sequels for “Fast & Furious,” fearing that continuing the story about a group of street racers might prevent the original film from ever being considered a classic.

That concern has since been put to rest: this Wednesday, the Cannes Film Festival will mark the high-speed franchise’s 25th anniversary ⁠with a midnight screening, honoring it as ‌a classic.

Diesel will attend the ‌Cannes screening alongside several of his co-stars from the films.

Since the first “Fast & ‌Furious” movie in 2001, the 11 films in the series ‌have brought in more than $7 billion at global box offices.

The celebration of the franchise extends well beyond the screen. A new “Fast & Furious” roller coaster is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood this summer, ‌with another attraction planned for Universal’s Orlando theme parks.

“For the last decade, we realized the ⁠fans want ⁠more,” Diesel said, noting that longtime viewers are eager to see the continuation of the franchise’s legacy characters and storylines.

Diesel praised Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios and chief content officer, who oversees film and television programming.

“I had to wait until it was right,” he said.

“It became right when Donna Langley started to oversee it all. That’s when I knew the integrity of the characters, the international appeal, and what makes us all feel like family would be protected in the TV space,” the 58-year-old actor said.

The final “Fast & Furious” film is scheduled to debut on March 17, 2028.

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The red carpet has been rolled out at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in the South of France.

The French Riviera festival beginning Tuesday will include 12 days of nonstop world premieres before culminating May 23 with the presentation of the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor and one of the film industry’s most prestigious awards.

The festivities kick off with the opening-night film, “The Electric Kiss,” a French period-comedy, and the awarding of an honorary Palme d’Or to the “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson.

What isn’t at Cannes has been as buzzed about as much as what is. Hollywood is largely absent this year.

While blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis” have touched down at previous incarnations, studio films this year have been either scared away by the possibility of a rocky reception or by the high cost of flying in A-listers to the Cote d’Azur. The closest thing in Cannes’ slate is an anniversary celebration for “Fast & Furious.”

Speaking to members of the press Monday, Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux said Hollywood “is reshaping” in the midst of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“I hope the studio films will come back,” Frémaux said.

Cannes has become better known for its lengthy standing ovations than its boos. This year, a long list of big-name filmmakers will have center stage.

Among the filmmakers set to unveil new movies are Pedro Almodóvar (“Bitter Christmas”), James Gray (“Paper Tiger”), Na Hong-jin (“Hope”), Pawel Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“All of a Sudden”).

If Cannes has waned as a global launchpad for studio releases, it has grown as a breeding ground for Oscar contenders.

Two years ago, Sean Baker’s “Anora” won the Palme in Cannes before winning best picture. Last year, Cannes selections like “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident” went on to play prominent roles in awards season.

More often than not, the specialty distributor Neon has been at the forefront of the Cannes-to-Oscars pipeline. Neon has backed the past six Palme d’Or winners, an unprecedented streak that it may be poised to extend. Neon is attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme d’Or.

On Tuesday, the jury deciding that award and others will hold a news conference before beginning their sequestered movie watching. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is serving as president of the nine-member panel, along with Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård and others.

How much any of this will serve as backdrop for “The White Lotus” remains to be seen. The fourth season of Mike White’s acclaimed HBO series is based around a trip to Cannes. Last month, the show began shooting on the French Riviera.

While Cannes may be light on big Hollywood movies, it isn’t lacking in stars. Set to appear over the next two weeks are Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, Sandra Hüller and many others.

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