After the unexpected death of franchise star Paul Walker, and the tear-jerking finale of Furious 7, the future of Universal’s blockbuster car chase series was in serious doubt. But have no fear, because Furious 8 will be here on April 14, 2017!
Vin Diesel broke the news at CinemaCon this weekend, shortly after Furious 7 became – fittingly enough – the fastest film to ever gross more than $1 billion. In just seventeen days, Furious 7 has joined a prestigious club that only includes 20 other motion pictures, including The Avengers, The Dark Knight and Frozen. With numbers like that, you’d better believe Universal green lit a follow-up as soon as possible.
Related: James Wan Talks ‘Furious 7’s’ Original Ending (Exclusive Interview)
Of course, continuing the Fast and Furious franchise was always Universal’s plan. James Wan confirmed to CraveOnline that the original ending for Furious 7 was going to be a set-up for more sequels, and that the plans changed when Paul Walker died halfway into production. The ending of Furious 7 doesn’t set the stage for Furious 8 but it doesn’t preclude more adventures either. Although the story of Brian Conner, Walker’s protagonist, has presumably reached its finish line in the series.
Fortunately for fans, and for Universal, the Fast and Furious franchise is about family, with plenty of cast members available for Furious 8 and other future sequels, including Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Kurt Russell and many more.
There are no further details at this moment, but CraveOnline will be back with more updates as Furious 8 (or whatever they’re going to call it, since at this rate not even And 8 would surprise us) heads to the starting line.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
