Ever since Vin Diesel shared the news that the eighth installment to the “Fast & Furious” movie franchise was green-lit, speculations about its cast members and plot have been making the rounds on the internet. It should be, considering that “Fast & Furious 7” is now officially the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.
During the recent 2015 Universal CinemaCon held in Las Vegas, Diesel, who plays film lead Dominic Torreto, announced that the movie, tentatively titled “Furious 8” will hit theaters on April 14, 2017, and will be the second film in the franchise not to star the late Paul Walker. The first movie in the series that did not have Paul Walker in it was the third film in the franchise titled “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” The 40-year-old actor, who played film lead Brian O’Conner, died in a car accident on November 30, 2013, with his friend Roger Rodas.
According to Movie News Guide, producers are trying their best to come up with a great plot for the speed racing action film sans one of its main characters. Rumor has it that Eva Mendes is almost in to make her long-awaited return to the upcoming film. The 41-year-old actress will reportedly reprise her role as US undercover Customs agent Monica Fuentes. Mendes made her first appearance during the second film “2 Fast 2 Furious” serving as a short-lived love interest for Walker’s character and even made a post-credit cameo in “Fast Five.”
Mendes was already rumored to appear in “Fast & Furious 7” but that did not materialize. “Furious 8,” fans are hoping that the actress will reprise her role in the franchise. Reports also say that a backstory on agent Fuentes is already underway and will be weaved into the upcoming film’s plot, which means the actress might have a bigger role to play in the franchise all along. Ryan Gosling’s partner still has not given an official word regarding her involvement in the upcoming movie.
The film will reportedly take place in New York and fans wonder how Mendes’ role would fit into the plot of “Furious 8” since Paul Walker’s character was her only connection to the film. The Franchise Herald reports that Fuentes might shake things up between Dom and Letty, played by Michelle Rodriguez. It is also speculated that her character will team up with Dom and Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs in running after the film’s villains.
Speaking of bad guys, Jason Statham, who played big bad Deckard Shaw in “Fast & Furious 7,” has recently confirmed his participation in the latest entry to the franchise. Speaking to Access Hollywood, the 47-year-old action star welcomes the idea that even though he was just a newbie to the franchise, he was already asked to reprise his role in the upcoming film. Looks like Shaw is about to get a dose of femme fatale for an accomplice in the next film and he will definitely need her especially since he is stuck in jail in the last movie.
Actress Helen Mirren is rumored to be the film’s main protagonist along with Statham. Mirren candidly expressed her interest to be included in the franchise during an interview with Seth Meyers earlier this year, and it looks like her wish is about to come true.
“Orange Is the New Black” actress Ruby Rose also confirmed that she will take part in the latest addition to the “Fast & Furious” series. As per the Inquisitr, the 21-year-old star admits that she auditioned for “Fast & Furious 7” but she was not able to land the role. Rose’s character is said to have a connection with Johnson’s agent Hobbs.
Aside from this, Paul Walker’s brother, Cody Walker, is speculated to also star in “Furious 8.” The younger Walker already played as his brother’s double in the latest film. With the help of CGI technology, Cody finished all of Paul’s remaining scenes in the movie.