There’s no slowing down the mega-hit street-racing series!
At Universal’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday, Vin Diesel confirmed that Fast & Furious is coming out with yet another installment, Furious 8!
Diesel told the crowd, as he held back tears, “It means a lot to me to get your blessing.” On that very stage at Caesars Palace, two years ago, Diesel and Paul Walker were both there to announce their plans to move forward on a seventh film in the action franchise.
“We were giddy and excited,” he announced. “You all gave me so much confidence. There was so much love.”
The Universal blockbuster has become the first film to come in first for four consecutive weekends since 2012’s The Hunger Games, collecting more than $320.5 million domestically and $1.32 billion worldwide, and earning more than Disney’s Frozen ($1.27 billion).
The popularity of the franchise is greatly aiding in the newest film’s massive success, however, this time around, there was more interest because of Walker’s shocking death in 2013.
His passing resulted in Universal halting all of production because shooting for the sequel was not yet complete. Director James Wan decided that the use of CGI, voice effects, and Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, would help keep Walker’s character, Brian O’Connor, in the film long enough to complete the storyline.
“You’ve been so loyal all along,” Diesel told the crowd. “You helped us create history here.”
Furious 8 will hit theaters April 14th, 2017.
