Confirmed! F. Gary Gray Is Officially On Board For ‘Furious 8’

After days of speculation and a teaser photo courtesy of Vin Diesel – it was confirmed on Thursday that Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray will helm the eighth installment of the billion dollar franchise that rocked the box office to its core this past spring. Gray tweeted his excitement at the prospect of garnering one of the most privileged assignments in Hollywood.

Fast and Furious 8 is on track to hit theaters April 14, 2017 and most of the cast is expected to return and reprise their roles, including Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. Newbies, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham are both reportedly coming back for more. There is no word on whether Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel will return – but there is every reason to believe that Michelle Rodriguez will join her castmates for another ride even though the actress has remained silent during the very public process of securing the future of the franchise that launched her career. Jordana Brewster who plays Mia, the younger sister of Diesel’s character Dom Torreto as well as the wife of Brian O’Connor – the role Paul Walker embodied before his untimely death in a car crash two years ago, faces an uncertain future. The last film retired her growing family from life in the fast lane. But considering her relationship with the designated head – there is a strong likelihood that Brewster will be back to “check in” which will invariably help keep the memory of Walker alive.

Response to the news of another Fast film has been mixed with some fans expressing concern that continuing the saga without Paul Walker especially after Furious 7’s beautiful sendoff – may be motivated by greed.

Either way, there is no refuting the fact that the franchise has been a constant moneymaker for Universal and with three more films in motion – there is no good reason for the studio to approach the end of the road just yet.

Ride or Die!