14 DAY TRIAL // This Friday, April 3, 2015, the seventh installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, not-so-subtly called “Furious 7,” will open wide in theaters. Buzz around the film is huge and not just because trailers for it promise the most insane and action-packed action movie of the last year but also because it’s Paul Walker’s final film.
Vin Diesel stopped by Jimmy Kimmel the other night to talk about it, and he oh so casually revealed that fans should count on an eighth installment as well. Which really shouldn’t be that surprising, if you think about it.
More “Furious” films are on the way
It might seem cocky for anyone in the industry to talk about a sequel to something that’s not even out in theaters yet, but it isn’t so where the “Furious” franchise is concerned. Much like Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies, these too are harshly trashed by critics and people whose idea of a good night at the movies doesn’t equal sitting through 2 hours of complete mayhem on screen.
Despite the criticism, the “Furious” franchise is insanely popular, and the seventh film will probably be the biggest hit yet for the two reasons mentioned above.
Both Universal Pictures and leading man Vin Diesel know that, so no wonder the latter is confirming the sequel on live TV with such confidence.
“You know I always think of these films multiple pictures in advance, I think of them as trilogies,” he says. “We really hired [Kurt Russell] because of a story that follows us, that takes place in New York.”
So even without Paul Walker, the other lead in the franchise, “Furious” will go on. Pretty much like Celine Dion’s heart on that famous “Titanic” song.
Not really that much of a surprise announcement
Diesel’s confirmation will undoubtedly make fans happy, but it’s not really that surprising, if you think about it. However, first things first: until Universal officially greenlights the sequel, no matter how much Diesel protests, it doesn’t exist: the studio calls the shots on this one, not the actor.
Walker was killed in November 2013 in a one-car accident, during the Thanksgiving holiday, when he was on a break from shooting “Furious 7.” For a few weeks after the tragedy, Universal seriously considered the possibility of axing the film and killing the franchise, because they could think of no way they could complete the installment without Walker, who was yet to shoot important scenes when he died.
In the end, the studio decided to make lemonade out of life’s lemons: they got Walker’s lookalike brothers to sit in for him, and used CGI for the rest of the scenes. They made some alterations to the script and will retire Walker’s character at the end of this movie.
In short, they decided they stood to lose too much money if they nixed the franchise, so it’s safe to count on as many installments as the public demands.
Right now, demand in them is very high, so no wonder Diesel feels he is in a position to confirm the eighth movie too, so early in the game.
If they’re still open to suggestions on casting, Dame Helen Mirren would also be very interested in a role. Now, that’s a sure way to make things even more interesting!
