Vin Diesel Says Furious 8 Will Debut April 2017

On the heels of the epic success of Furious 7, which has amazingly grossed over $1 billion worldwide, a feat that was achieved within 17 days of its release, making it the only film in history to do so, star and producer, Vin Diesel, made an announcement that most have been anticipating.

While attending CinemaCon in Las Vegas, on Thursday, Diesel proudly confirmed that Furious 8 will hit theaters on April 14, 2017. Diesel also paid tribute to friend and co-star, the late Paul Walker as he reminisced about how they had jointly announced Furious 7, two year ago.

The Fast and Furious franchise experienced a rebirth after the 4^th installment, Fast and Furious surpassed expectations back in 2009. Things only got better when the hang held Rio hostage in Fast Five, in 2011, which helped cement the indefinite and lucrative future of a saga whose humble beginnings in 2001, though impressive never hinted at the prospect of continual global domination.

But almost 14 years later, the 8^th chapter is about to be initiated and one of the most beloved and crucial characters, Brian O’Conner, played by [Walker], who tragically perished in a car crash in 2013, in the middle of filming Furious 7, is retired from the crew and his departure was staged in a touching and memorable way. But his absence will no doubt alter the shape of things and change the course of the remaining core characters.

The appeal of the franchise has always been the reliable formula of family and loyalty shared amongst a multi-ethnic gang of specialized misfits who seem to find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. This tradition should expectedly continue with future films even if the dynamic shifts with the absence of the bromance between Dominic Torreto and Brian O’Connor.

It will be interesting to see how this next installment will shape up and whether or not director James Wan will be back in the driver’s seat. Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel who joined the team as a computer hacker might very well be back to ride or die with the crew. Diesel has also hinted that Furious 8, which might be headed to The Big Apple, will also welcome back Kurt Russell who will embody a bigger role this time around.

Either way, the Fast Family won’t be the same without the boyish charm of Paul Walker, but these past few weeks have proven that the franchise can still race to the finish line without losing steam.

Diesel acknowledged on his Facebook page during the festive spirit of Furious 7’s immediate release that the latest installment was #ForPaul while Furious 8 will be #FromPaul.

Judging from the overwhelming evidence, we have to agree.