If Universal is aligning Fast & Furious 8, 9 and 10 as a conclusive trilogy to its box office titan, then the first poster shared by Vin Diesel for next year’s Fast 8 very much reflects that mantra.
Teasing “New Roads Ahead,” the sepia-toned one-sheet isn’t unlike those posters released for past entries in the series, but there’s an added poignancy to Diesel’s post given the tragic passing of Paul Walker in 2013. Indeed, Walker’s death had a major impact on the cast, crew and production of Furious 7 itself, leading to multiple reshoots to salvage a story that at once paid respect to the series stalwart, and advanced the Fast and Furious franchise in a different direction.
Having wrangled a coherent blockbuster that stormed to international success, director James Wan has called time on his all-too-brief stint in Universal’s street-racing series to work on The Conjuring 2, opening up the hot seat for Straight Outta Compton helmer, F. Gary Gray.
Since being appointed at the helm, we’ve witnessed a steady stream of A-listers join the Fast 8 ranks, including Kristofer Hivju, Scott Eastwood and perhaps most exciting of all, Charlize Theron as the sole baddie.
Among the familiar faces due to appear in next year’s blockbuster are Vin Diesel, who returns to headline the balls-to-the-wall actioner as Dominic Toretto, joined by Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty, Lucas Black’s Sean, Tyrese Gibson’s Roman, Ludacris’ Tej, Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and Jason Statham, who is seemingly back in business as the villainous Deckard Shaw.
Look for Fast 8 to drift into theaters on April 14, 2017, before Universal’s blockbuster titan shifts gears for Fast & Furious 9 and Fast & Furious 10 on April 19, 2019 and April 2, 2021, respectively.
