Vin Diesel may have his directorial debut with 'Furious 8'

Following the announcement that “Furious 7” director James Wan chose to direct a “The Conjuring” sequel over “Furious 8,” the possibility of Vin Diesel directing the eighth instalment of the Universal Pictures film franchise was brought up. The studio is reportedly having a hard time looking for a new director.

Screenwriter Chris Morgan is currently working on the script of “Furious 8.” The directorial job for the eighth instalment of the Universal Pictures film franchise was also offered to Justin Lin, who directed the third through the sixth instalments, but he cannot do it because he is busy with “Star Trek Beyond.”

With the box office success of “Furious 7,” Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley was said to be eager to re-enlist Wan to direct not only “Furious 8” but also the following ninth instalment. The studio accepted Wan’s decision to a “The Conjuring” sequel but went back to him when Lin also refused.

Universal Pictures reportedly asked Wan to direct at least one more “Fast & the Furious” instalment and offered him higher pay. Still, he declined the offer with the difficulties he had with “Furious 7” following Paul Walker’s death, which even compromised his health, according to Hollywood Reporter.

There are still no comments from Universal Pictures on the rumours that Diesel may have his directorial debut with “Furious 8.” It was Diesel who announced that the release date of the upcoming instalment is April 14, 2017.

So far, only Diesel, Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson are confirmed to reprise their roles as Dominic Toretto, Deckard Shaw and Hobbs, respectively, in “Furious 8.” It is rumoured that Cody Walker will also be part of the cast.

Neither Statham nor Johnson has commented on the possibility of Diesel directing “Furious 8.” Meanwhile, Johnson appeared on the “Mean Tweets” segment of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” episode that aired on Sept. 22, Tuesday, to read mean tweets along with Liam Neeson and Bette Midler.

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