It’s been nearly a 15 year journey for the Fast and the Furious series, but given that the latest installment, Furious 7, is now the fourth highest grossing movie of all time, another sequel was never in question.
We’ve been speculating for a few months now what a Furious 8 might look like, and have been hearing everything from a New York setting, to a plot hinging on Eva Mendes returning as Agent Monica Fuentes. Now it sounds like we can finally inch our way out of rumor territory, with confirmation of a big returning character.
So, Jason Statham is coming back?
That’s the word. He recently told Access Hollywood, “We’re already talking about doing another one, Part 8. I’m a newcomer, I just got invited to the party in this last one, so it’s nice to know I’m going to be doing another.”
His quote doesn’t seem very ambiguous, so it sounds like it’s pretty much a done deal. Expect to see another round of Deckard Shaw when that eventual Furious 8 hits theaters in 2017.
Where did we last see him again?
Statham’s Deckard Shaw was introduced as Furious 7‘s primary antagonist, going after Dom’s crew as payback for taking out Shaw’s little brother in the previous installment (who as we find out, is not dead, just in a coma). After causing some mayhem, Shaw is ultimately imprisoned in a ridiculously high security prison (what the hell is the overhead for a place like that?).
So wait, how is he returning then?
Well he’s not dead, so I guess it wasn’t a matter of if he’ll return, but when. That being said, I don’t think any of us expected to see him back so soon.
After all, we’ve already had two installment in a row with the Shaw brothers, I really have to wonder if that storyline is going to wear itself thin if we get yet another one with those British baddies.
How else might Deckard Shaw fit into Furious 8?
My shot in the dark guess? They won’t be bringing back Shaw as a villain, but as an anti-hero who is forced to team up with the F&F crew.
There’s obviously a precedent for it. Both Luke Hobbs and Mr. Nobody recruited Dom’s crew for government work, despite their criminal backgrounds. Mr. Nobody in particular doesn’t seem to have any qualms about hiring out for his wetwork.
Something similar could happen with Shaw, and the dynamic of seeing those former enemies working together could be a really interesting twist for Furious 8.
That’s worth thinking about. When is it out?
Furious 8 will hit theaters on April 14, 2017, so we’ve got plenty of time to work out just what exactly it’s going to be about.
