After Furious 7's record-breaking success, "The Fast and Furious 8," the eighth installment for the Fast and Furious franchise, was commissioned without second thoughts. After months of being in the dark regarding the movie, the public received Vin Diesel's official statement regarding the movie's release. Diesel announced during the CinemaCon in Las Vegas, that the eighth is set to hit the big screen on April 14, 2017.
The 47-year-old actor added that the said franchise installment would be a tribute for his friend and former co-star Paul Walker. He said, "Fast and Furious 7 was for Paul, and 8 is from Paul."
Vin Diesel is known to always be on the frontlines for promoting the movie franchise. A few months ago, he was the one to first release the Fast and Furious 8 logo through his instagram account.
The addition of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a mixed martial artist and Ultimate Fighting Championship Champion, to the cast of the movie was also confirmed. However, Ronda Rousey dropped hints of whether Jedrzejczyk will play a protagonist role, teaming up with Dominic Toretto's familia, or an antagonist role, going up against team Toretto, after she commented on her fellow UFC fight's addition to the cast. Rousey commented, "I think it would be a such a cool addition; someone who looks really unassuming. I know I look good in a Herve Leger dress, but I also look like I could still kill you in it, and Joanna doesn't!" Ronda Rousey is set to return to this franchise installment together with Eva Mendes. Mendes, however, has yet to confirm whether she will still be playing Monica Fuentes, the female agent in "Fast and Furious 2", which the late Paul Walker co-starred with Tyrese Gibson.
Kurt Russell's appearance on the movie was also confirmed. Diesel, again, said in an interview, "Kurt Russell came in for this movie but we really hired him for a story that follows this, that takes place in New York." Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is also rumored to be returning along with Jason Statham. However, these are all speculations and either actor gave no confirmation.
