How Fast and Furious beat Marvel to the finish line in the race to make a cross-over film

Universal Studios, one of the more venerable studios still around since the early era of film had never achieved a "billion" dollar film until Furious 7 crossed that threshold this summer. The Fast and Furious series never seemed to be destined for the financial and critical acclaim it is currently celebrating. What started out as a bland remake of Point Break, that somehow justified three sequels of debatable quality, ultimately led to the first major Hollywood cross-over franchise film in the 5th one. This article would look at how luck, circumstance, casting conflict, and one determined director created the first successful cross over movie, taking disparate elements of stories by other people and fashioning them into a coherent whole.