From the streets of Compton to the cars of the Dubai….and London….and Rio….and Los Angeles.
Following the recent success of Straight Outta Compton, director F. Gary Gray is moving to one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood as The Hollywood Reporter reports that he is set to direct Furious 8 next. This comes a week after a report that Universal was struggling to find someone to take it over with fear star Vin Diesel would want to direct also.
According to the report, Gray beat out Louis Leterrier, Adam Wingard, and William Eubank for the job. Leterrier would’ve been a safe pick after he made two successful franchise films with The Incredible Hulk and Now You See Me. Eubank is a small director with two credits — Love and The Signal — to his name at this point.
The most interesting choice would’ve been Wingard, who directed genre favorite — You’re Next and The Guest. He has a great sense of style and action set pieces and would’ve brought a whole new aesthtic and brand to the Fast & Furious franchise as they ride for their final trilogy.
Gray is a solid choice though and knows how to handle pictures like this since he also directed The Italian Job. The behind-the-scenes stuff with Compton should help with the alleged problems that arose recently with Diesel and the producers of the film after Furious 7.
Furious 8 is pegged to release in April 2017.