We were given an inkling that this might happen when James Wan was been eyed as director. Well, now that he has officially signed on, it has been confirmed that Universal Pictures will release the seventh installment of the Fast And Furious franchise on July 11th 2014. Announced by Vin Diesel at Cinemacon in Las Vegas, filming will begin this Summer, with the sixth film more than likely still in cinemas. We know next to nothing about the movie at this stage, other than Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have signed on, and the villain of the piece is said to make his appearance in Fast and Furious 6. I won't spoil who it could be, because if the rumours are true, it will make a nice surprise in the post-credits sequence. Dwayne Johnson has already poured doubt on whether he will appear, as shooting on this will clash with his work on Brett Ratner's Hercules. So expect him to have little to no presence in Fast And Furious 7.
This fast tracking of the sequel is understandable, since it is Universal's most popular franchise, and has garnered quite a fan base over the years. But this could be the start of the series adopting a yearly release schedule, much like Paranormal Activity and Saw, which I feel can only hurt it.
