Production for the eighth installment of “Fast & Furious” movie franchise is finally underway. Early last month, the cast and crew were spotted in Havana, Cuba filming some scenes.
It was a very big milestone for the franchise as it became the first global Hollywood movie to be allowed to shoot in the island nation in about 60 years.
Another upcoming film, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” is the latest film to shoot in Cuba. Following this trend, more films are expected to shoot in the island nation in the future.
Last week, the production achieved another milestone as they shot the upcoming film’s first scene with the main cast altogether.
Director F. Gary Gray shared some behind-the-scene photos and videos showing the cast having fun at work.
In one clip posted by the “Straight Outta Compton” director, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Dominic Torreto and Letty Ortiz, respectively, were joined by Tyree Gibson, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, and Nathalie Emmanuel as they sit around a conference-type room.
After a few second, co-stars Kurt Russel and Jason Statham join in for some behind-the-scenes fun. Judging by the videos it looks like Statham’s Shaw is now on Torreto’s side.
Moreover, Johnson, who plays Agent Hobbs couldn’t help but show his massive biceps on his first day on the set. The actor was seen flashing one of his massive biceps for the camera during a break in the set.
Recently, the former WWE champ shared the first image of his character.
Johnson took to Instagram over the weekend to introduce a darker and more serious Agent Luke Hobbs in the upcoming film.
The monochromatic photo shows Johnson’s character sporting a pointy goatee and a leather vest. Fans have noted that he looks more like a leader of a biker gang than a secret agent.
In the caption, the “Game Plan” actor teased fans what they will expect from his character in the latest installment, implying that his character is about to go a massive overhaul.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that Johnson will portray a more rogue version of his character in the upcoming film.
Interestingly, The Rock was careful to remove the ‘Agent’ prefix when pertaining to his character. Fans assume that in the movie, Hobbs won’t be part of the Diplomatic Security Service anymore.
The latest set of videos posted by Universal seemed to hint that he’s going to be a fully pledged member of Toretto’s team.
The 44-year-old actor went on to explain that he wanted to introduce a new version of Hobbs in the hopes that it will lead to a potential spin-off, which the actor previously said he’s interested in doing.
The “Snitch” actor joined the car-racing film franchise in “Fast Five” and has appeared in every film since.
According to Comic Book, “Fast & Furious 7” consulting producer Hiram Garcia was 100% amenable to the idea of a Hobbs spin-off film.
Garcia said that there have always been talks for its potential but the challenge has always been the scheduling. Diesel also said that potential spin-offs for the franchise are in the works.
“Fast and the Furious 8’ is expected to hit theaters on April 14, 2017. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges all return to reprise their roles.
Kurt Russel returns as Mr. Nobody from the last film as well as Nathalie Emmanuel as computer hacker Ramsey. Jason Statham also returns as Deckard Shaw, which the actor has been portraying since the sixth film.
Joining the film’s roster, this time, are Scott Eastwood, Kristofer Hivju, and Charlize Theron. Theron plays the film’s big bad Cipher. The actress was welcomed into the franchise via Instagram snap last April.