Recently we reported that, despite Universal Pictures having a banner year and theirFurious 7film grossing over $1.5 billion, the follow-up film in the franchise has had some behind-the-scenes issues when it comes to landing a director. DubbedFurious 8, since it follows in the footsteps of the previous film, the newest installment in the hotrod-centric franchise was presumed to have directorJames Wanon board since Universal had options on him directing both the 8th and 9th films. The difficulties ofFurious 7’s production stemming fromPaul Walker’suntimely death, and the fact that Wan wanted to directThe Conjuring 2for Warner Bros. led to Wan departing theFuriousfranchise.
Universal then went back to previous franchise directorJustin Linto see if he’d be interested; he opted to direct Paramount’sStar Trek Beyondinstead. When the studio then went back to Wan with areportedly “life-altering” amount of moneyto return … and he declined … a new wrinkle in the movie’s production difficulties was revealed. Enter star and producerVin Diesel, who was reported as being “extraordinarily difficult” by behind-the-scenes sources. However, Diesel’s production partnerNeal Moritzsaid that, “Obviously, if there was any issue, we wouldn’t be making the eighth [film] with [Diesel] right now.” As a shepherd of the franchise and an actor beholden to his fans, Diesel felt the need to clear the air.
Check out what Diesel had to say on his Facebook page below:
To clarify, it sounds like Diesel is referencing filmsFurious 8throughFurious 10when he references the “last Trilogy to end the saga.” While this hurts my brain that a trilogy is ending (temporarily, at least) a film franchise at 10 films rather than nine, that logical incongruity makes sense in the physics-defying world ofFast & Furious. It’s also a little confusing that Diesel refers to the eighth installment asFast 8rather thanFurious 8, but who knows; we’ve already hadThe Fast and the Furious,2 Fast 2 Furious,The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,Fast & Furious,Fast Five,Fast & Furious 6, andFurious 7.
Another interesting insight into Diesel’s comment is that it seems like he’s the one who’s been the gatekeeper for the new film’s director. This has led to speculation that Diesel himself would be directing the next film and possibly each installment of the final trilogy. He’s certainly embedded himself as a creative force behind the scenes of the production, so this is, for some, a logical progression for Diesel and his career. The fact that he’ll soon be announcing the directors on his own Facebook page says quite a bit: he’ll either toot his own horn, or be the herald of his franchise’s next director. Either way, Diesel remains as essential to the supercar franchise as his namesake itself.
Would you want to see Diesel in the director’s chair for the final trilogy? Let us know!
