Now that Vin Diesel, James Wan and everyone involved at Universal propelled Furious 7 – and the street-racing franchise as a whole – into the über exclusive billion dollar box office club, the sky’s the limit as far as the studio is concerned for upcoming sequel Furious 8.
Having instated Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray at the helm, reports have suggested that the Toretto crew would be hitting up the Big Apple when the 2018 blockbuster screeches into theaters, though The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Universal is now eyeing a potential shoot in Cuba. That’s not to say that New York won’t feature in Gray’s hotly-anticipated sequel; after all, the Fast and Furious franchise has turned into a globe-trotting affair in recent entries, rivalling a scope and scale of the recent James Bond and Mission: Impossible films.
And according to THR, Universal shows no signs of taking its foot off the pedal.
“Universal Pictures is currently in the process seeking approval from the United States and Cuban governments to explore shooting a portion of the next installment of the Fast & Furious series in Cuba,” said a statement from the studio.
One way or the other, Furious 8 is designed to jump-start one final mainline trilogy, which will surely allow the Toretto crew to wrap up any lasting commitments and go home – something they’ve been ostensibly trying to do since the fourth film. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Universal is ready to retire the series, with numerous spinoffs and prequels incubating in development.
Reuniting Vin Diesel with Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson and the remainder of the crew, Furious 8 is posied to hit theaters on April 14, 2018.