Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines because F. Gary Gray and Vin Diesel are re-teaming in the new action-comedy Muscle. With plans to shoot later this year, Muscle has Reginald Hudlin and Byron Phillips producing at the side of Diesel and Samantha Vincent for One Race Films. In addition to being the film's director, Gray will also executive produce.
The logline and concept for Muscle are being kept under wraps, but we do know that Scott Taylor and Wesley Jermaine Johnson wrote the original script. That script is now being re-drafted by John Swetnam and Malcolm Spellman.
“There are few directors who can match Gary’s skill with character, comedy, and big action, which is why he is one of the most accomplished and in-demand directors working today," said Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group. “Over the years, Vin and I have worked together on a number of hit movies and it’s a thrill to reteam Vin and Gary after their billion-dollar success on The Fate of the Furious. This will become one of the most eagerly anticipated films on our slate.”
While the tidbits about this project don't give us much to get hyped about at the moment, the idea of Diesel and Gray working together again is very cool. The duo worked together on 2017's The Fate of the Furious, which grossed $1.2 billion in worldwide receipts. That's an absurd amount of money, which means that studio expectations will be quite high for this new project. I'm intrigued by the thought of Diesel getting to use his comedic chops for Gray's new film, and hope that the action is up just as outrageous as Diesel's Fast & Furious franchise.