'Fast and Furious 8' Release Date: 2017 Premiere Confirmed
Development of the next sequel of the "Fast and Furious" film franchise is gearing up fast. In the recent CinemaCon 2015, it was announced that the eight "Fast and Furious" movie will come to theaters on April 14, 2017, almost two years after the recent "Furious 7."
During the Universal Pictures panel, Vin Diesel was aonhand when the announcement was made. The project is yet untitled, but a report in Screen Rant says that it may not just be called "Fast & Furious 8."
As it is, the movie is poised against one other movie, "Ghost in the Shell" live-action adaptation of an anime series during the same weekend. Originally, "Pacific Rim 2" was scheduled for release on the same weekend, but it was recently moved to August 4, 2017.
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With regards to the film's development, recent reports also indicate that Universal wants a previous "Fast & Furious" director Justin Lin to come back and helm the eighth movie. The report also talks about the possibility that Lin may also direct a ninth film, which is said to be last of the franchise. Lin has previously directed four "Fast & Furious" movies.
Rumors about the film's plot have surfaced ever since the possibility of a sequel came out. One of these says that Chris Morgan, the official writer of the franchise, will write the screenplay. In terms of story setting, it was also rumored that it will be partially take place in New York.
Character-wise, Diesel has teased previously that the character played by Kurt Russell in "Furious 7" will play a major role in the next film. This is said to be connected to the plot line about Dom's crew getting more involved in covert government operations. The report says that Eva Mendes' Agent Fuentes character may come back as well, which may also be the same with Lucas Black's Sean Boswell character.
The next two films will have to live with Paul Walker's absence after the actor's death in 2014.
