Spoiler warning if you haven’t seen Furious 7…
Despite being locked away by Dwayne Johnson in a maximum security cell somewhere near the Earth’s crust at the end of Furious 7, it looks like no cage can truly contain the fury of Jason Statham’s bad guy Deckard Shaw as the action star tells Access Hollywood that he’ll return for another bout with Vin Diesel’s crew in Furious 8.
“We’re already talking about doing another one, Part 8,” Statham declares. “I’m a newcomer! I just got invited to the party in this last one so it’s nice to know I’m gonna be doing another… They’ve always got something good up their sleeve, and I don’t want to be the one who spoils the plot lines but there is some great stuff I already know about.”
After taking in over $1.5 billion worldwide, Furious 7 is just a few million shy of besting The Avengers to become the third-highest-grossing movie of all-time, a level of success Statham chalks up to the series’ steadfast following.
“The fanbase is really unique,” says the actor. “They really do relate to these characters, they love these characters, they’ve followed them for years and years.”
Star Vin Diesel announced Furious 8 at this year’s CinemaCon after the unprecedented success of the seventh film, and he along with Statham, Johnson and Kurt Russell are expected to return, along with franchise regulars Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black reprising their roles as street racers-turned-international criminals-turned-super-secret agents.
Universal Pictures will deliver Furious 8 for an April 14, 2017 release.
