Since Furious 7 was such a monster hit this year, you would think that Universal Studios would want to get the engines running on an eighth Fast & Furious movie as soon as possible. The site’s source said that Diesel would also summon the filmmakers for “repeated late-night script sessions to make him comfortable with his character and dialogue”. But the Wan had suffered, mentally and physically, during the long and grueling production on Furious 7 after Paul Walker lost his life in a vehicle accident. But, when push comes to shove, Wan stuck with his CONJURING decision, opting for peace of mind and his sanity over a fat wallet and another F&F movie. But as the film’s April 2017 release date approaches, they may be veering closer to those at least nominally versed in the action genre due to what could become a very tight schedule. However, with studio co-president of production Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, who oversaw the franchise and really helped get it back on track after the Walker tragedy, recently exiting, things have started coming apart a tad without that glue there to keep it all together.
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The seventh installment in the franchise earned $1.5 billion, so you can understand why Fast 8 is a top priority for Universal.
The statement that Wan was never in the mix conflicts with THR’s assertion that the studio “had contractual options on Wan to direct the eighth and ninth installments”. But according to a new report, the studio is running into some speed bumps.
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However, representatives for Diesel say that to suggest the actor/producer was a handful on set is “complete nonsense” and Wan’s people also deny any abnormal friction between the actor and director beyond the expected stress of making the movie following the death of Paul Walker. That was fine by Universal, as they thought they might be able to lure Justin Lin back to the series after stepping away for a film, but once Lin signed on for STAR TREK 3, that left Universal between a rock and a hard place. As of now the studio has put out feelers to agents to experienced action directors, but the only one being named so far is Jaume Collet-Serra, director of Liam Neeson’s action thriller Non-Stop. Apparently this is actually a concern for Universal, but another source in the report says that Diesel wouldn’t want to take on such a big project as his first big screen directing venture. Regardless, he remains involved as a producer on the series and must be consulted on director choices, though he does not have veto power. To say Universal owes Vin Diesel a huge debt of gratitude is an understatement, but exactly how much do they owe him? Stay tuned for more.
