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 and news update. It is very clear that The Fast and Furious 8 will be a Paul Walker Tribute.
According to the Venture Capital Post, a recent announcement about Fast and Furious 8 has revealed that the film will have three actresses joining the cast that includes Ronda Rousey, Eva Mendes, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. So far, there hasn't been any confirmation if Mendes will be reprising her role as United States Customs Agent Monica Fuentes, which she played in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the second offering in the franchise.
As for Rousey and Jedrzejczyk, they have a lot of sports experience under their belts. Jedrzejczyk is a mixed martial artist, while Ronda Rousey is a UFC Champion as well as an actress. There are many rumors that these two fighters will be put against each other.
Of course, one of the biggest casting rumors is about Dwayne Johnson, and whether or not he will return to it. The same goes for Jason Statham. 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, should he wish 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. Diesel has also mentioned that "Fast and Furious 7 was for Paul, and [Fast and Furious] 8 is from Paul".
The Fast and the Furious 8, Furious 8, or whatever it will eventually be called, will be released on April 14, 2017.
