‘Furious 8’ Gets Release Date, And Fans Are Not Happy
With the success of Furious 7, which is still playing in theaters nationwide, it may not sound like much of a surprise that Furious 8 is going to be following in its footsteps. But the announcement has left some fans underwhelmed by the news that the franchise will continue without one of its lead stars, the late Paul Walker.
According to Variety, actor Vin Diesel announced that the release date of Furious 8 will be April 14, 2017. Diesel made the announcement at CinemaCon in Las Vegas — the same location in which the release date for Furious 7 was announced by Diesel and Walker in 2013.
Reminiscing about that time, Diesel told the audience of theater owners that he and Walker were “giddy and excited” to be continuing the franchise.
“You all gave me so much confidence. There was so much love.”
It’s official: #Furious8 is coming! Save the date: http://t.co/tw04rkHORg pic.twitter.com/XLZjLDL756
— E! Online (@eonline) April 23, 2015
There had been some discussion about creating Furious 8, even though Walker is no longer around, and Furious 7 sends him off in a way that was welcomed by fans. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Dwayne Johnson had mentioned the possibility of the eighth film relocating the franchise to New York City. Johnson also noted that even if the series were to relocate, there would still have to be a strong story and strong character development to go along with all the action sequences.
“Whatever we come up with for Furious 8, we’ve gotta raise the bar in terms of action, yes, I think, but in terms of story and character.”
At CinemaCon, Diesel stated that the sequel will, indeed, be taking place in New York City.
Prior to this announcement, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges told E! Online that Furious 8 had been discussed, but nothing was official.
“I really feel like we need to let the fans decide whether there’s going to be a Furious 8 and we’ll work it from there.”
Furious 7 has dominated the box office for the entire month of April, earning more than $1 billion worldwide in its first 17 days of release. But the announcement of Furious 8 has left some fans cold, especially since Walker, who was with the franchise from the beginning, will no longer be involved.
Furious 7 had a perfect ending. They don’t need to make #Furious8! — katie (@ktrsl) April 23, 2015
Why not end The Fast and The Furious franchise on a somber note instead of looking like more money is what its all about? #Furious8
— Danro (@Unstoppabull360) April 23, 2015
I cannot say that the #Furious8 news is great…they needed to end on 7 especially Paul is no longer here & the films are getting worse TBH — C•H•A•R ?? (@VIP_Char_x) April 23, 2015
Seriously #Furious8 is happening?! Won’t be the same without Brian O’Connor. #RIPPaulWalker
— Lauren Hiestand (@LaurenLvsMovies) April 23, 2015
How do you feel about the Furious 8 announcement?
[Image credit: Universal Pictures via Bangladesh Press]
