The seventh installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise went on to break box office records as it earned $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. Because of this, the pressure is on for the person who will be tapped to direct "Furious 8."
It was reported that the job was offered to two previous directors of the franchise, but both of them turned it down to work on other projects. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Furious 7" director James Wan bowed out of the upcoming film to direct "The Conjuring 2," while Justin Lin passed in favor of JJ Abrams's project "Star Trek Beyond." But Vin Diesel has another name in mind, one that had been requested by the Paul Walker.
In a Facebook post, the actor said that it had always been the late actor's desire to have Rob Cohen direct the upcoming film. Cohen directed the first film in the franchise, "The Fast and the Furious." In an Instagram post, Diesel also revealed that Cohen was the one who cast Jordana Brewster as his sister in the movie franchise and was responsible for introducing him to producer Neal Moritz, who has been with the franchise since its early days.
"There has always been the desire by Paul to have Rob direct once more, this is what fueled my campaign," said Diesel in his post. "I believe that he can and would reset the franchise nicely, returning to what was the core of the film in the beginning…racing."
The actor added that he believes Cohen will also handle Walker's character's departure from the film with integrity. In the last film, the late actor's character, Brian, chose to live a quiet life with his family while anticipating the birth of his second child with Brewster's character Mia.
Diesel said that he will leave the decision in the studios' hands for the moment while he releases his upcoming film, "The Last Witch Hunter" and start production on "Xander Returns."
"Again, we make this film with our hearts," said Diesel.
"Furious 8" is slated for release on April 14, 2017.
