That conversation is ongoing, but at least we have a definitive answer. Vin Diesel took to the stage of CinemaCon recently and confirmed that Fast & Furious 8 is happening, and will reach theaters on April 14, 2017. It’s definitely happening! But there remain a ton of questions about who will be involved both in front of and behind the camera. Let’s dig in to all that we already know about the upcoming Fast & Furious sequel:
The Kurt Russell Connection
It bears repeating that Furious 7 always was going to be the start of a new trilogy of Fast films, though that plan was changed once Paul Walker died. James Wan confirmed that the original ending of Furious 7 would have led to new stories. But the first real hint we got about Fast & Furious 8 came when Vin Diesel appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show and revealed that supreme badass Kurt Russell
was added to part seven as a tease for what the crew wanted to do in
part eight. And Vin spoke in the present tense, saying that Russell’s
covert character, Mr. Nobody, would be a catalyst for events that would
follow through in Fast & Furious 8. Now, Walker likely was going to be part of that adventure, and now will not be. But that doesn’t mean the show can’t go on.
The New York Setting
In the same clip, Vin Diesel dropped the interesting nugget that the
crew would shift their mission for (or against) Mr. Nobody to the
streets of New York City. Which, in my opinion, is fantastic. The Fast & Furious
movies always have been an L.A.-based franchise, and Diesel delivered
on his promise to return the series to Southern California with Furious 7.
But a series that has stopped in so many amazing global cities has yet
to invade the Big Apple, and I want to see Toretto’s crew try to stay
fast in midtown Manhattan traffic. (The "furious" part won’t be
difficult. New Yorkers are always mad about something.) In a recent
conversation, The Rock told the media that they wanted to give Furious 7 time to breathe, and to succeed, but that they were "up for the challenge" of doing Furious 8. And Diesel chimed in that F8 sounds like "Fate," something he said Walker always believed.
Justin Lin’s Return
James Wan was an unusual choice to helm Furious 7 after Justin Lin decided not to come back after directing multiple Fast films. Wan primarily was known as a horror guy, and his lone foray into "action" – the Kevin Bacon drama Death Sentence -- went largely unseen. It’s very possible that Wan could come back to direct a Fast & Furious 8, especially given the success of Furious 7. But a few months back, a story broke on Deadline
that Lin would return to the series to direct a multi-part finale. Wan
even said in a recent interview that Justin Lin would be the perfect choice
to bring the series to a close. This plan still could be in place,
though Lin is about to board the U.S.S. Enterprise as the director of Star Trek 3,
so Universal might have to put their red-hot series on ice for a bit if
they want to wait or Lin’s services. Would that be a good idea?
Lucas Black’s Contract
Those paying attention to the Fast & Furious timeline synch couldn’t have been that surprised to see Lucas’ Black’s Tokyo Drift hero, Sean Boswell, return to the screen. Furious 6
revealed that Han was killed by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), so Dom
pitstopped to Tokyo to meet with Sean, get information on this new
threat, and bring Han’s body back to Los Angeles for a proper burial. At
the time, Black revealed that he had signed up for Fast & Furious
parts 7, 8 and 9. Again, plans for the series seem fluid, but if Black
was a part of the future story before, I see no reason to think he
couldn’t be part of the next two chapters, at least. Drift on!
The Eva Mendes Rumor
So far, the Fast & Furious films have made a habit out of
bringing familiar faces back into the fold. Michelle Rodriguez was
believed to be dead before returning for Fast & Furious 6. We just mentioned Lucas Black, and his presence in Furious 7. So with the timeline realigned now, it makes sense that a recent rumor
suggests the return of Eva Mendes’s character, U.S. Customs Agent
Monica Fuentes, be brought back into the story. As we learned in Furious 7,
Dom and his crew now runs in criminal circles that involve the federal
government – or, shadow arms of the government operated by the likes of
Mr. Nobody. This could open up several doors for the Furious crew
to either have to help Fuentes… or avoid her. Maybe the God’s Eye
MacGuffin from the latest movie will put Toretto on Fuentes’ radar?
Maybe Mr. Nobody has a new job for Dom? I think Fast & Furious 8 will happen, particularly after Furious 7 just broke the bank. Do you?
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