The Fate of the Furious (alternatively known as Fast & Furious 8 and Fast 8, and often stylized as F8) is a 2017 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. It is the eighth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron. The Fate of the Furious follows Dominic Toretto (Diesel), who has settled down with his wife Letty (Rodriguez), until cyberterrorist Cipher (Theron) coerces him into working for her and turns him against his team, forcing them to find Dom and take down Cipher.
The Fate of the Furious marks the first installment in the franchise since The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) not to star both Paul Walker, who died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30, 2013 while filming Furious 7 (2015), and Jordana Brewster. Script rewrites to the seventh installment after Walker’s death completed the story arcs for both of their characters (Brian O’Conner and Mia Toretto, respectively).
Plans for an eighth installment were first announced in March 2015 when Diesel appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and announced that the film would be set in New York City. Preparations for the film began immediately after the release of Furious 7, with Diesel, Morgan and producer Neal H. Moritz re-signing. After setting an initial release date in the same month, casting took place between April and June 2015. In October 2015, Gray was announced to direct the film in the place of James Wan, who had directed the previous installment. Principal photography began in March 2016 in locations such as Mývatn, Havana, Atlanta, Cleveland and New York City, continuing the franchise’s tradition of filming in exotic locations around the world.
The Fate of the Furious premiered on April 4, 2017 in Berlin, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 14, 2017, playing in 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX internationally. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences and performances, while criticizing the storyline. The film has grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, making it the thirtieth film (and the second in the franchise, after Furious 7) to gross over $1 billion, the second highest-grossing film of 2017 and the eleventh highest-grossing film of all time. The film grossed $532 million worldwide during its opening weekend, setting the record for the highest-grossing opening of all time, ahead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($529 million). A sequel is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2020.
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