Vin Diesel Announces ‘Fast and Furious 8’ Release Date; New Cast Member To Replace Walker?
Moviegoers and car enthusiasts alike were thrilled to hear news about "Fast and Furious 8" announcing its release date in 2017.
It was also announced that the upcoming movie might expand its franchise and news as to whether Paul Walker will be replaced in the upcoming film's cast, according to sources.
According to Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley, they have already talked about the different ways they could further expand the story of the franchise by either putting out sequels or prequels, as stated by the Latinos Health.
"We're certainly in conversations about how we can expand the franchise now," the Chairman said. "It's an ensemble cast and there's room to bring characters in and out," he added.
However, fans of the franchise won't expect Paul Walker, nor his character Brian O'Connor, to be part of the cast of "Fast and Furious 8" when it is released, as confirmed by NBC Universal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer, care of the Master Herald.
It was reported that the NBC Universal Vice Chairman debunked the rumors that the late Paul Walker will be depicted reprising his role via CGI or that his brother Cody Walker would be included in the "Fast and Furious 8" cast to stand-up for him in the film, as stated by the source.
"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," Ron Meyer said, courtesy of N4BB.
"It will still be Fast and Furious, it will just be without Paul," he added.
Moreover, Vin Diesel might have hinted that fans might see the actor starring in a solo spinoff once the "Fast and Furious 8" is released, as reported by EnStarz.
"We've written out story lines for various characters," the actor said, courtesy of the source.
"We've been playing with it for a long time. It's a very rich property and we're committed to treating it with a lot of class," he added.
In addition, it was announced that the release date for "Fast and Furious 8" will be on April 14, 2017, which will include Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the cast, and will be directed by F. Gary Gray ("Straight Outta Compton"), according to N4BB.