There Are Hidden Star Wars Sounds In Fast X
"Fast X" is one of the best over-the-top movies of the year (the first annual /Film Movie Awards even said so), but it just got even better. In an interview with Happy Sad Confused podcast's Josh Horowitz, director Louis Leterrier confessed that he snuck a familiar "Star Wars" sound effect into the action-packed driving movie. "In my last movie, in 'Fast X,' I put TIE fighter sounds in it," Leterrier told the host.
Though Leterrier doesn't say exactly where he snuck in the familiar sound of the Imperial fleet, Syfy Wire was able to trace the sound effect to the 1-hour 54-minute mark of the film, which features a climactic chase scene involving the film's unforgettably wild villain, Dante (Jason Momoa). Fans with an ear for sound effects also clocked the TIE fighter noise on Reddit soon after the movie's release. The Starfighters have some of the most distinctive sound effects of George Lucas' entire series, but the foley for their scenes actually came from yet another movie. According to Far Out Magazine, sound designer Ben Burtt said the TIE fighter sounds came from elephant screeches sampled from the 1958 film "Roots of Heaven" mixed with the noise of cars on wet pavement.
It's unclear whether the "Fast X" sound department was able to sample the "Star Wars" sound or recreate it from scratch, but its presence in the long-running action saga seems to have been meant as an outright homage. "Any person — man, woman, whatever, American, French, Asian — in their 40s, 50s saying they're making movies for a different reason than trying to do a 'Star Wars' movie are lying," Leterrier said in an especially frank moment of the "Happy Sad Confused" interview. He added, "We all are trying, in a way, to make a 'Star Wars' movie."
Everyone wants to make a Star War, according to Leterrier
Leterrier cited the TIE fighter sounds he snuck into "Fast X" as an example of a certain generation's collective and lifelong attempt to remake "Star Wars," even when they're making other movies. "I just cannot help myself," he said after revealing he added in the familiar screech. The filmmaker also told Horowitz he pitched a "Lone Wolf and Cub"-style "Star Wars" TV show before "The Mandalorian" was created, but his idea involved filling in a timeline gap before "A New Hope." He was also interested in making a Boba Fett-centric story, he says. Obviously, ideas that shared some DNA with Leterrier's ended up on screen, but he seems to think that was a coincidence. "I had this idea because it was a low-hanging fruit," he told Horowitz. "I think it's so obvious [because] the characters are so iconic."
White Leterrier has yet to tackle a "Star Wars" project, but he certainly injected the latest installment of the "Fast" franchise with a fitting sense of operatic drama. "This flick unleashes some of the series' best action sequences alongside a show-stopping eruption of endlessly entertaining insanity from Jason Momoa," /Film's Ethan Anderton wrote in his review of the film. Leterrier is already on board for the upcoming "Fast X" sequel, which may or may not turn out to be the final installment of the franchise. "Part 2 is going to be a sad one," he told Entertainment Weekly back in May. "It's going to be beautiful, and I'm so happy I'm doing it."
You can listen closely for the sound of TIE fighters while watching "Fast X" now: the movie is currently streaming on Peacock.