Vin Diesel Wants Rob Cohen (Or Vin Diesel?) to Direct ‘Furious 8’

The Fast & Furious series needs to hurry up.

After the incredible success of Furious 7 earlier this year, Universal is already counting on Furious 8 to be one of their big 2017 tentpoles; the movie is already scheduled to open on April 14 of that year. But the sequel still needs a director. Furious 7 filmmaker James Wan has already made it clear he won’t return (although his reps refuted a report that directing that movie “actually compromised” his health). Justin Lin, who made Fast 3 through 6 is busy directing Star Trek Beyond. So who’s going to steer this franchise into its next (and supposedly final) trilogy?

While Deadline claims that Universal is considering Ericson Core (Point Break and the director of photography on the original Fast) and Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me), King Furious Vin Diesel has some different ideas. The possibility that he might direct the movie himself is already floating out there, and in a new Facebook post, he confirms that it’s on his mind. He also suggests another possibility: Rob Cohen, the man who directed the first Fast & Furious way back in 2001.

Here’s the key passage from his post:

I will share something crazy that my mother said six months ago after the studio had me announce the date for 8 to the world… “Either you direct 8 yourself... or don’t do it.” Some of you vinbook pioneers are all too familiar with my mother’s wisdom, as I have posted her sayings in the past on Our page… but I wrote it off as just a mother’s love and belief in me, though she has seen first hand what I've done to make these movies defy expectations and become increasingly successful, even when the studio thought I was crazy... haha.

Back to the matter of 8… First and most importantly is the SCRIPT, which has to be great. Hopefully the writer will deliver something within the next two weeks… before my Witch Hunter press tour begins. There has always been the desire by Paul to have Rob direct one more, this is what fueled my campaign… I believe that he can and would reset the franchise nicely, returning to what was the core of the film in the beginning... racing. He would also handle the Brian O’connor issue with integrity, given that he and David Ayer were the ones who initially created that beloved character in the first place.

Cohen departed the franchise after the first movie; he and Diesel left to make the first xXx (a new one of those is in the works now as well). A return to the world of Fast & Furious would certainly bring things full circle as the series gears up (ho ho) for its final drive toward the finish line (ho ho ho!). But the franchise has also grown by leaps and bounds since Cohen was involved; it’s a very different beast than what it was 15 years ago. Back then, it was just a weird little B-movie with a pair of relative unknowns. Now it’s one of the biggest franchises on the planet, fresh off the lost of one of its biggest stars. Whoever gets this gig, whether it’s Cohen or Diesel or somebody else, is going to have an awful lot of pressure to deliver another massive hit.