Chris ''Ludacris'' Bridges and Vin Diesel will reprise their respective roles as Tej and Dominic Toretto in "Furious 8." (Photo : Reuters )
"Straight Outta Compton" actor and director F. Gary Gray took to Twitter on Oct. 8, Thursday, to confirm that he will direct "Furious 8," which is set to be released on April 14, 2017.
"Cant ask for better partners than Vin, Neal & Universal. Excited to bring u the next chapter of the #FastFamily saga," Gray tweeted referring to "Furious 8" producers Vin Diesel and Neal Moritz and the film franchise's distributor Universal Pictures.
Before Gray's announcement, Diesel, Moritz and Universal Pictures asked Justin Lin to direct "Furious 8" because "Furious 7" director James Wan cannot do it. However, Lin also refused the offer because he is busy with "Star Trek 3."
Aside from Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Jurt Russell and Ludacris are expected to return to "Furious 8," according to Variety. Cody Walker, brother of the late Paul Walker, is also rumored to be part of the cast.
It is yet to be confirmed if "Furious 7" actresses Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, Levy Tran, Eden Estrella, Anna Colwell, Iggy Azalea, Jocelin Donahue, Britney Alger and Sara Sohn are reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel.
In other news, Gray's "Straight Outta Compton" co-stars Jason Mitchell, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Corey Hawkins are among the honorees for the 19th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, which will be held on Nov. 1 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Indie Wire reported.
Gray played Greg Mack in "Straight Outta Compton" while Mitchell, Jackson and Hawkins played Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, respectively.
