FILM · 1998 · FRANCE

Taxi

13 archived facts · 1 topic · 1 source · Last reviewed Oct 2026

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All facts (13)

1. #001

   Luc Besson wrote the screenplay in 30 days while waiting for Columbia Pictures to begin production on The Fifth Element (1997).

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2. #002

   Shortly before filming began, director Gérard Pirès fell from a horse and had to stay in the hospital for several weeks. During that time Gérard Krawczyk, who would later direct the sequels Taxi 2 (2000) and Taxi 3 (2003), worked on set, while Pirès watched the daily footage at the end of each day to monitor the shoot's progress.

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3. #003

   Taxi was shot over a period of 30 days.

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4. #004

   110 cars were used during the making of the film.

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5. #005

   While Émilien (Frédéric Diefenthal) takes driving lessons, the driving school is named G. Pires, just like the film's director, Gérard Pirès.

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6. #006

   The racing helmet the lead character wears at the end of the film belongs to French Formula 1 driver Olivier Panis.

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7. #007

   In terms of box-office receipts, the Taxi series is one of the most successful French franchises to date.

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8. #008

   Emilien can be seen playing Grand Prix 2 (1996) in his office.

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9. #009

   When the production company Gaumont turned Luc Besson down, Besson went to two old friends: Michèle Pétin and Laurent Pétin, who headed the small production company ARP. They agreed on a 50/50 split, and Besson began looking for a director. He had known Gérard Pirès for a long time, but Pirès had not directed a film in 15 years. He was directing commercials, including Peugeot ads, which made him suitable for the project. For budgetary reasons, the location was chosen as Marseille, and the cast members were relatively unknown at the time. Better-known actors were approached but turned the project down. Financiers such as Canal+ were told that unknown young actors would be easier for young audiences to identify with and were also a bet on the future. The main musical theme is based on Misirlou, a popular song of Eastern Mediterranean origin.

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10. #010

    The music in the opening scene is "Misirlou," the same track that appears at the beginning of Pulp Fiction (1994).

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11. #011

    In a research article written for the journal French Cultural Studies, İpek A. Çelik Rappas of Koç University explains how the Taxi series "reflects Luc Besson's transition from directing to producing big-budget films in his career" and reveals how its relationship with post-industrial spaces changed as film locations turned into investments related to the film.

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12. #012

    In Cannonball Run II (1984), a Countach's white paint was washed off to reveal red underneath in order to mislead the Highway Patrol during a chase.

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13. #013

    The American remake Taxi (2004), starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon and Gisele Bündchen, premiered in October 2004 and was criticized by reviewers. A remake of the original film as a summer series, known as Taxi Brooklyn (2014), aired on NBC in August 2014.

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