Vin Diesel teases the “dark road ahead” in The Fate of the Furious

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

At this point you're either on-board with FAST & FURIOUS' particular brand of impossible stunts and gravelly-voiced musings on the importance of "family" or you're not. The release of the eighth installment of the long running franchise is just over a month away, and it looks as though it will be shaking things up once again by pitting Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) against his former friends. A new trailer for THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS dropped earlier today (Dwayne Johnson steps out of a moving trunk to guide a torpedo towards the bad guys. There are no words) and Vin Diesel took the occasion to speak with Entertainment Weekly about the "dark road ahead" for the franchise.

Dominic Toretto has always been focused on doing what's right for his family, which makes his seeming betrayal in THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS a bit of a mystery. "We have been talking the talk. Now it was time to walk the walk," said Diesel. "Of course I was worried about going down such a dark road… but in some ways, there was little reason to continue if we weren’t going to challenge our characters and the fans’ faith in our saga."

Charlize Theron's character, Cipher, seems to have Dom under her thumb somehow, and in the latest trailer, she mentions the events of both FAST & FURIOUS 6 and FURIOUS 7, which left fans wondering whether she's been the main villain of the FAST & FURIOUS saga all along. Vin Diesel wouldn't spill any details, but he did seem to hint that Michelle Rodriguez's character may have something to do with it.

Everyone in the world thought Letty was dead, including the studio and Michelle Rodriguez. But I fought for her character, because I knew there was something about their relationship that provided a core heart to the saga. When she signs up with Owen Shaw [in Furious 6], she is put on Cipher’s radar. It all starts in London, in some ways.

When asked whether it was different preparing to play Dominic Toretto this time around, Vin Diesel stated that it was "very different" as he knew that he was going to have to go to a dark place. In fact, Diesel said that part of the reason he reprised the role of Xander for XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE beforehand was to "laugh a little onscreen before returning to Dom."

It was an intense experience, to say the least. I only hope that the audience enjoys the journey despite the dark road ahead.

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS will hit theaters on April 14, 2017.