'Fast & Furious 8' Release Date: Charlize Theron As New Villain? Vin Diesel aka Dominic Gets a New Right Hand In Place of Paul Walker?

Mar 02, 2016 02:46 PM EST

"Fast ad Furious 8" is the first of the three-part trilogy that will mark the end of the whole franchise.   Fans need to wait more than a year for it to be released, but as early as now, several rumors and speculations have emerged on what to expect. Here is a roundup of the latest rumors and speculations.

With Paul Walker's untimely demise, Vin Diesel's character is need of a new right hand. Rumors have it that this will be Sean Boswell, played by Lucas Black.

"Furious 8" will include the return of past characters from "Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift," including Black. Cinema Blend stated that it was possible that his role will have a much bigger exposure and a heavier storyline this time. 

It can be remembered that Dominic (Vin Diesel) went to Tokyo in "Furious 6" to investigate Han's death. At the time, Black also shared that he has scenes in "Fast & Furious" 7, 8, and 9. All these led to speculations that Boswell will be seen more in the upcoming movie. 

Previous reports also revealed that Brian (Paul Walker) will not be totally absent in the upcoming sequel. Instead of using CGI and Paul's brother Cody, however, management said they will find another way to feature Brian in some form or another.

It has also been reported that Eva Mendes is going to reprise her role as .S. Customs Agent Monica Fuentes. There is no official confirmation yet. Interestingly, there are rumors that Charlize Theron might join this famous franchise as a villain.

Sources told Deadline that director F. Gary Gray and screenwriter Chris Morgan are adding a new female villain in the list of characters and they are keen on Theron to take on this role.

Theron specifically showcased her acting chops when she played Imperator Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road" opposite Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky and Nicholas Hoult as Nux back in 2015. This year, she is also included in the cast of the upcoming adventure drama film "The Huntsman: Winter's War." She plays Ravenna.

According to Deadline, "Fast 8" will be released on Apr. 14, 2017. The 9th installment will be on April 2019 and the 10th on 2021. This is revealed by none other than Vin Diesel himself.