With James Wan opting to direct The Conjuring 2 (which just began filming), with Aquaman beckoning straight after, the question of who would take the helm of Fast & Furious 8 is currently being thrown about. Personally, it felt a bit odd Wan would depart the franchise with only one instalment under his belt, especially since he did such a good job with Fast & Furious 7, ushering in a record breaking $1 billion haul worldwide. Not to mention, Universal optioned him for the eight and ninth installment. His departure unearthed some rumours that producer and star Vin Diesel was ‘extraordinarily difficult’ to work with, questioning directorial choices and demanding last minute rewrites. Considered a heard of the franchise, and someone who appreciates the fans it has gathered over the years, Diesel has stepped forward to clear the air some what, on Facebook of course, saying:
The fans of the Fast & Furious SAGA are the best fans in the world... Since I became the Producer in 2008, you have been with me every step of the way... literally giving me feedback that proved invaluable. Thank you. My producing partner Neal would love for me to just sign off on a director, but this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled. To be clear, NO ONE has been offered to helm Fast 8 yet... let alone seen a script. Universal has been so good to me and so trusting of the vision... they have been like family... I promised the studio I would deliver one last Trilogy to end the saga. I will announce the directors on my next post...
O.K., two things. First off, I think we all considered the first three movies a trilogy of sorts, loosely connected by the street racing culture. Fast & Furious, Fast 5, and Fast & Furious 6 told it’s own self contained story with Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) death and eventual return. Logic dictates that Furious 7 was the start of a new trilogy that would end with 9. But the Fast & Furious franchise only flirts with logic, it never goes home with it. From what Diesel is saying, it really seems like Fast 8 (I thought it was Furious 8?) will lead to a trilogy that takes us all the way to a tenth installment. It’s all a bit confusing.
Secondly, it seems like Diesel has been given final say on who the director could be. It’ll be announced on his Facebook page after all. You get the feeling that Universal has given Diesel a lot of creative control over the franchise and from this, another set of rumours, that Diesel himself could be taking the helm of Fast 8 (seriously, it was Furious 8, wasn’t it?), could be proven right.
What say you? Could Diesel be taking over, or, if not, who would you like to see take on the franchise? Sound off below.
