rob cohen launched the franchise and pitched it to walker. >> it was over at dinner i said to him, you know, i'm developing a movie, we just got going on the script, but i'm developing a movie about this, you know, underground street racing world. >> paul walker, obsessed with amateur racing from an early age, didn't skip a beat. >> he said, i get the girl, i get the gun, i get the car and you're directing. i don't have to wait for the script. i'm in. >> explosions. stunts and speed was a dream come true for walker. >> i really don't see how i could have more fun or making a movie could be more of a thrill than it was making this one. >> one film would turn into seven, with box office receipts topping $2 billion. theaters filled with moviegoers drawn into the action. into the lead actor, for more than a decade. >> he's just such a loveable man. there is something in that spirit of life and lightness that just kept coming through. and people are just very attracted to that. >> "fast & furious" would become a cultural phenomenon, a lucrative global franchise of sequels, video games, and