Fast and Furious 8 Cast Rumors, Release Date Confirmed: Will Paul Walker Appear With Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez

By Mark Aserit
 Fast and Furious 8
First official poster of Fast and Furious 8

The "Fast and Furious" movie franchise is a certified blockbuster hit. Next year, Vin Diesel and his family are set to return in another installment of the movie series. Will Paul Walker appear on the Fast and Furious 8? Let's find out.

There have been several rumors about Paul Walker's return in the movie franchise. In the last Fast and Furious movie, the late actor showed in the final moments of the film, thanks to the CGI (Computer-generated imagery) technology.  However, in the 8th installment of the movie that will not happen, according to NBC Universal Vice-Chairman Ron Meyer.

"Paul won't be in it, but he'll be represented in some form or another but whether his image is in it, I can't tell you yet, but he won't be in the film as a performer, as an actor, the way we did it last time," Meyer said in a report from MSN. "It will still be Fast and Furious, it will just be without Paul."

In another interview, movie producer and action star Vin Diesel said there might be spinoffs in the Fast and Furious franchise. The actor said they are currently writing the story lines for various characters.  "We're committed to treating it with a lot of class," the producer told in Variety.

Diesel did not explain which characters would have standalone films. Previously, Dwayne Johnson aired his interest about agent Luke Hobbs' solo movie. Moreover, Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley has also revealed about branching out the Fast and Furious franchise, according to Latinos Health.

The plot details of the upcoming Fast and Furious 8 have not yet revealed by the producers. However, fans can have clues from the movie's first poster, which is posted on Diesel's Instagram account. The poster shows the sprawling New York City skyline.

Fast and Furious 8 will hit theaters April 14. 2017 and will star Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and Jason Statham. Online reports say there will be 2 more after that, and hopefully more spinoffs and solo projects in next years to come.

The 8th installment of the Fast and Furious movie will be directed by F. Gary Gray, from the 'Straight Outta Compton' fame.

Fast and Furious 7, which featured the late Paul Walker, became a box office behemoth, grossing $1.5 billion worldwide at the box office to ranked as the sixth highest-grossing movie ever.