After reports surfaced last week that Fast and Furious 8 was being delayed due to its ongoing search for director, Vin Diesel (Guardians of the Galaxy) responded to quell any angst from fans of the franchise. Diesel confirmed that the the Fast series will conclude after the upcoming planned trilogy.
Rumors were swirling that the new project was struggling to find a director after James Wan (The Conjuring), director of Furious 7, declined to return to the latest installment. There were even murmurs of tension between Diesel and Wan over creative control of the film.
Diesel did his best to dispel such gossip and attempted to put the focus back on the car franchise, which is enjoying a level of success only Marvel movies can brag about, with Furious 7 grossing $1.5 billion worldwide this past April.
“Universal has been so good to me and so trusting of the vision, they have been like family,” said Diesel through his Facebook page. “I promised the studio I would deliver one last trilogy to end the saga.”
He also addressed the ongoing directing rumors.
“My producing partner Neal would love for me to just sign off on a director, but this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled,” stated Diesel. “To be clear, NO ONE has been offered to helm Fast 8 yet, let alone seen the script.”
Fast and Furious fans can rest easy knowing the franchise is still going strong at Universal, with Diesel leading the charge.
The next three films will most certainly take a new direction after the passing of one of its main stars, Paul Walker (Brick Mansions). Only time will tell where Dominic Toretto’s gang ends up next.
Diesel ended his his Facebook post by stating that his next post would reveal the forthcoming director for the franchise. When he announces the new director, we’ll be sure to pass the news along. As of right now, the project only has its screenwriter in Chris Morgan (47 Ronin), who penned the last Furious film.
Fast and Furious 8 is slated to be released April 2017.
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