I think we can count on FAST 8 delivering the usual thrills we’ve come to expect from the franchise, but this new installment is quickly becoming even more enticing with the ensemble cast being assembled. Of course, Vin Diesel is back along with Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham, but we also have Charlize Theron as the villain, Game of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju as her henchman, and one more big star to add to that list: Helen Mirren.
Helen Mirren on joining FAST 8:
I want to be making film and theater, but film is particularly relevant. I like it to be serious. Of course, having said that I’m about to do Fast and Furious 8. But that’s for the fun of it. So maybe that’s what I want as well, some fun and some relevant, serious, important movies. I’ve always rather loved driving. I said, ‘I’ll be in it, but only if I’m allowed to drive if I do drive in it.’ But we’ll see. We’ll see how it transpires. I love big, fun movies–as long as they’re well made and they’ve got good scripts. That’s the most important thing.
Mirren brought her class to the RED films, and while those movies are a different breed entirely, I’m sure FAST 8 will allow her to have quite a bit more fun. Given that the film is already in production, there’s no telling if Mirren will have a role that requires her to jump behind the wheel of a car, but I’m certainly game for it!
FAST 8 will open in theaters on April 14, 2017.