Vin Diesel’s Personal Quest to Direct ‘Furious 8’ Will Not Happen

Vin Diesel is furiously determined to secure the legacy of the Fast franchise and he is dutifully documenting the winding road that he hopes will lead to the final three installments of the saga that he dreamed up with director Justin Lin during the filming of 2009’s Fast and Furious – the film that eventually solidified the global prominence of the beloved franchise.

Diesel who also serves as a producer along with Neal Moritz has a thriving presence on social media – particularly Facebook that serves as his platform of choice when it comes to providing updates about upcoming projects. His page has also provided him with the ability to publicly mourn and honor late friend and co-star, actor Paul Walker who tragically passed away almost two years ago in a car crash while the cast and crew were on break during the filming of Furious 7.

Diesel, assured fans back then that the seventh installment would be the best one yet and he was right. Walker’s younger brothers stepped in to help complete the film and the reception both at home and abroad was epic.

Now that the attention is focused on the impending Furious 8, there is every reason to believe that this installment may remarkably prove even more challenging than its predecessor. Writer Chris Morgan has yet to produce a completed script and the search for a director has yielded no results.

Diesel has been quite vocal about the struggle to maintain the momentum and vision required to finish off the remaining films in the trilogy. James Wan who was chosen to carry on the work Justin Lin had perfected signed off after Furious 7 and decided instead to concentrate his efforts on the sequel to his 2013 hit The Conjuring. Plus, rumors were rampant that Wan had a difficult time working with Diesel who was reportedly excessively demanding. There was also the matter of trying to complete a film after suddenly losing one of the major players. The pressure expectedly took a huge toll on the Malaysian-born Australian director and there is no word whether or not he will be back to helm the final two films.

Enter Diesel who based on his latest Facebook posting – seems to be hinting at the possibility that he might be in the driver’s seat when it comes to steering the fate of Furious 8. The man fondly known as “Dom Torreto” divulged a conversation he had with his mother recently that convinced him without a doubt that he would be best the choice to occupy the director’s chair based on what he’s done “to make these movies defy expectations and become increasingly successful, even when the studio thought I was crazy”. He goes on to state that his mother warned him that “Either you direct 8 yourself…or don’t do it”.

Needless to say, according to sources, Universal isn’t pleased with Diesel’s approach to what is now becoming an obvious battle of wills between both parties. It is also highly unlikely that Diesel will assume the role of director for any of the future Fast films, despite his unrelenting passion for the franchise that helped launch his career more than a decade ago.

However there is talk that Rob Cohen who directed 2001’s The Fast and the Furious could return for another round but even that claim has been dismissed by sources who are certain that Cohen has no intentions of coming back.

Despite the long road ahead – Diesel isn’t wavering in his quest to exert his power to ensure that Furious 8 meets its ambitious deadline of April 14^th 2017. So far Tyrese Gibson who plays the hilariously capable Roman Pierce is the only member of the Fast family to publicly lend support and encouragement via his Facebook page. Gibson openly praised his outspoken co-star for maintaining his loyalty and for “willing to go up against all potential odds and certain levels of potential resistance to do what a friend personally asked of you”. The actor/singer also referenced the power struggle between Diesel and the studio by concluding with “The powers at be are chipping away at this creative and yet highly sensitive tree of how to move from here…”

The next few weeks should hopefully present a clearer picture of where one of the most successful franchises in the world is headed but for now…the saga continues.

To read Diesel’s Face book post in its entirety – click here.