How will the Fast & Furious franchise move on after Furious 7?
That’s been the big question ever since Vin Diesel took to his Facebook account to announce that not only will there be another sequel, but they’re planning a new trilogy. The seventh film’s touching tribute to star Paul Walker, whose death could have signalled the end of the franchise, won’t ultimately be its final bow. Instead, the FF family is moving on to bigger and (potentially) better things.
For their next act, Fast 8, the production has upped the ante for villains. It’s an impressive feat, as the previous film saw Jason Statham and Vin Diesel going at it on the roof of a parking garage with a few tire irons. There’s no more masculine, culminative scene than something like that. Especially when it ends with the entire building being targeted by drone missiles. Uber manly.
The eighth film is bringing in two villains, according to reports today, one of whom is bringing a less macho, but equally as devastating impact. Variety has confirmed that Mad Max: Fury Road star Charlize Theron will join the production playing “some sort of villain. The Wrap has confirmed that Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju will be playing a “tough henchman.”
That’s Furiosa and Tormund Giantsbane, two of the very best gritty, intense humans on the landscape of popular culture, teaming up to finish a job that Jason Statham wasn’t able to finish (sorry, spoilers).
Fast 8 will also include a locale change. Director F. Gary Gray, working from a script by franchise regular Chris Morgan, will be taking the story to New York. Production has also been seen globetrotting as far as Iceland, which means worldwide vehicular hijinks are still very much in play. With the core cast — Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez and a Mr. Statham — returning, all bets are that Fast 8 will deliver more of what we’ve come to expect from this franchise.
And what we expect is motorized mayhem and big personalities. On the latter, they’ve just added two of the biggest and most entertaining working actors of the day.
Plus, more of this…
