'Fast 8' to Be Helmed by 'Straight Outta Compton' Director F. Gary Gray

Universal Pictures

#FastFamily

The Fast & Furious family is about to get even bigger.

“I promised the studio I would deliver one last Trilogy to end the saga,” Vin Diesel recently posted on Facebook, seemingly confirming an eighth, ninth, and tenth Fast film. He later added, “To be clear, NO ONE has been offered to helm Fast 8 yet ... let alone seen a script ...”

With James Wan, who directed Furious 7, departing the franchise, Vin has settled on a new director: F. Gary Gray, who helmed the hit, Straight Outta Compton, this summer.


WATCH: Michelle Rodriguez Has a Big Wish List for 'Fast and Furious 8'

Gray posted on his own Facebook, “I could not have asked for better partners than Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, & the Universal Studios Entertainment family. Together we are excited to bring you the next chapter in the Fast & Furious saga.”

I could not have asked for better partners than Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, & the Universal Studios Entertainment...

Posted by F Gary Gray on Thursday, October 8, 2015

Gray had been rumored to be the frontrunner after Vin posted a picture of the two together with what appears to be some sort of Fast & Furious collage.


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Though Gray will surely make a great addition to the team, some fans may still be a little disappointed -- namely, that Vin isn’t directing the next installment himself. “I will share something crazy that my mother said six months ago after the studio had me announce the date for 8 to the world…,” he had previously posted on Facebook. “‘Either you direct 8 yourself... or don’t do it.’”

“I wrote it off as just a mother’s love and belief in me," he continued. "She has seen first hand what I've done to make these movies defy expectations and become increasingly successful, even when the studio thought I was crazy.”

The eighth Fast & Furious movie is set to hit theaters April 14, 2017 and Vin says it will be a return to the world of racing. “Ultimately we all want the best film to honor what we have created and what you the audience has adopted as your favorite franchise,” he explains.

Vin concluded, “We make these films with Our hearts.”

Now, just announce that Helen Mirren is in it and we’re happy.

Watch the Furious 7 cast reflect on the film’s emotion tribute to Paul Walker: