Paul Walker was definitely a terrible loss in the film industry, especially in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Walker, who plays Brian O’Conner, was given a proper closure storyline in the seventh installment of the franchise.
O’Conner’s story was wrapped up when he decided to leave the gang and stay with wife Mia and raise their family without the danger of the work that they were accustomed to doing.
In real life, Walker died after a single-car collision in November 2013 along with a friend. He was halfway through in filming “Fast & Furious 7” when he met his untimely demise. Thus, his brothers Cody and Caleb stepped in to help finish his scenes in the movie.
Now, reports have surfaced that since the car-racing film franchise still has three more movies in store for fans, Vin Diesel’s Dominic Torreto will need another sidekick to accomplish his missions.
According to Parent Herald, Lucas Black, who played Sean Boswell in “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift,” will reprise his role and become Torreto’s new sidekick.
Boswell already made a cameo in “Fast & Furious 7” to inform Dom that Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was the one responsible for Han’s death. The two met in Tokyo and Dom brought Han’s body back in Los Angeles to give him a proper burial.
Reports say that Black has signed up for the “Fast & Furious 8” and “Fast & Furious 9.” Cinema Blend notes that Boswell might be Dom’s new partner, but he is not necessarily a replacement for O’Conner.
Dom and Brian had a closer bond especially since they are brothers-in-law because of Jordana Brewster’s Mia Torreto while Boswell’s only connection to Dom and the team was Han.
Reports say that now that Dom’s team is one man short, they will need someone skilled behind the wheel to work with them and that person is none other than Sean.
Black, however, is not yet listed for the last movie, “Fast and Furious 10,” which suggests that something might happen to his character in the ninth film.
“Fast & Furious 8” is being directed by F. Gary Gray and is scheduled to hit theaters on April 14, 2017. With almost a year away, the production for the film is moving according to its own timeline.
All previous cast members, including Kurt Russell who appeared in “Fast & Furious 7,” have signed up to reprise their roles until the final installment.
As per Vine Report, the film just added Cleveland to its roster of filming locations. The second filming unit is expected to arrive in Cleveland to shoot some action sequences.
Reports say that the arrangement was initially kept down low, but the topic casually came up during a recently held pre-Cleveland International Festival.
Further confirming reports was a certain job posting in the state requesting for crew members and vendors willing to participate in the shoot.
There is no definite date when filming will commence in Cleveland, but with a year left before the movie, filming is expected to roll out sometime this month.
Diesel has long stated that the upcoming film will be mainly set in New York City. Back in February, the crew was spotted filming some scenes in a small town in Iceland.
Other rumors surfacing regarding the film is that Eva Mendez will be back. Mendez played Customs Agent Monica Fuentes in “2 Fast 2 Furious” and was a love interest of Brian.
She also made a cameo in a “Fast Five” post-credit scene where she hands Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs a file regarding a robbery in which a recent photo of Michelle Rodriguez’ Letty Ortiz is attached, revealing the latter to be alive.
Reports say that Mendez’ character will be back and will be a potential love triangle for Dom and Letty.
Another rumor is that the upcoming film will have a female for the main villain in the person of Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron.