If there is one theme that has been a predominant force in the Fast and the Furious films, it’s the theme of family. Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his family values lay at the core of the films. After and despite the untimely death of Paul Walker, the Fast and the Furious film series, we all knew, would go on. It is, after all, far too lucrative for the studio to pull a curtain on it.
Having said that, if you’ve been wondering just how the upcoming eighth film in the franchise will compare to the past films, rest assured this one will certainly capture your fancy. The first official trailer of F8 or The Fate of the Furious, has finally made its way across the interwebs, and from what we’ve seen, it is obvious that the story has been turned inside out.
Joined and turned by a menacing and merciless Charlize Theron, who essays the captivating evil genius, Cipher, in this particular story, Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto abandons his crew, who double as his family, and goes all evil. So while they’re both wreaking havoc, new alliances are forged such as one between Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, who played villain in the last film, and Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs in a bid to capture Toretto. Like we said, up is down and down is up.
Speaking about this plot twist, Vin Diesel said in a recent Facebook video: “We’ve been talking about family for so many pictures, and it was inevitable that there would be a chapter that would challenge that concept of family. The dark place that Dom goes to ... well, I guess you’ll just have to see the movie.”
The response, not surprisingly, to the trailer has been both promising and record-breaking. According to the studio backing the film, the trailer has picked up over 139 million views in just 24 hours, making it “the most successful trailer debut of all time”.
Directed by Straight Outta Compton’s F. Gary Gray, the film sees a unique dynamic between Theron’s Cipher who manages to turn Diesel’s Toretto against the very people he had been protecting in all the last seven films and has been shot in New York and Cuba.
Aside from Diesel, Statham and Johnson, the film will bring back most of the cast from the last film including Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody, Nathalie Emmanuel’s Ramsey, and the old timers such as Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty ‘Ortiz’ Toretto, Ludacris’s Tej Parker, Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce and Jordana Brewster’s Mia. Lucas Black, who was one of the lead stars of Fast and The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift and made a small appearance in the last film, is also reprising the role of Sean Boswell. Meanwhile new entrants to the franchise include actors Charlize Theron, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren (whose role remains a mystery).
Releasing next year in April, the seven-film series has earned almost $1.3 billion in the United States alone and almost $3.9 billion worldwide. Last year’s Furious 7 generated $353 million in the US and $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.