The Fast and the Furious franchise has really grown up from a story of an undercover cop to that of full-blown, all-out action. The success of Furious 7 has led to a practical instant green-light of The Fast and Furious 8, but there is very little known right now about its release date, cast, and story.
According to Comic Book dot Com, Vin Diesel went on Instagram and posted a hint of what the plot of the Fast and the Furious 8 will be. Actually, it was more of a visual hint with a picture of New York that you can see in the image. This could be something fan made or a legitimate leak, but apparently Diesel had teased on Jimmy Kimmel Live that the eighth installment of the franchise would take place there. He even went so far as to explain that Kurt Russell's character, who is simply called "Mr. Nobody", has been brought in for a bigger plan for the franchise, with New York as the setting. Considering that Mr. Russell is well known for his film Escape from New York, this is an interesting direction.
The big question on everyone's minds is how do you replace Paul Walker? Even though Vin Diesel is the name associated with the franchise, the original story was always about Paul Walker's character. His brothers Cody and Caleb walker had to stand in for him because of his untimely death before the release of Furious 7, but his character is a void that demands to be filled for Fast and Furious 8. Cody has previously expressed interest that he would like to work with Vin Diesel in Furious 8, according to Movie News Guide.
The Day Herald reports that many names are being tossed around to be the new Paul Walker in Fast and Furious 8. One of them is Kurt Russell himself, which would change the central character to one that was young and up-and-coming to that of a veteran. It could be Dwayne Johnson, if he wishes to return to the franchise. Then there is the possibility of Cody Walker, which would probably mean introducing him as the brother of Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker's character name in the Fast and Furious series).
Whatever the case, Fast and Furious 8 will be the first film without Paul Walker from the beginning, and Vin Diesel, in paying tribute to his best friend, held back tears in the formal announcement as he said: "I swear to you and my brother upstairs, we are going to make the best movie you've ever seen". You can rest assured that Diesel will put his heart in this story, which he is developing with producer Neil Moritz and writer Chris Morgan.
The Fast and the Furious 8, Furious 8, or whatever it will eventually be called, will be released on April 14, 2017.
