The Fate of the Furious

[GeneChing]

Wait...what? It took me a closer read to see that this was just a suggestion by the author and not a done deal, or even a buzzworthy rumor. Nevertheless, I thought it might make a funny ttt for this thread.

‘Furious 8’ Cast With Zhang Ziyi: Will It Break ‘Furious 7’ Box Office Record?
Conviron Altatis | Jun 30, 2015 04:00 PM EDT


"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Zhang Ziyi is set to reprise her role in John Woo’s “The Crossing 2” with Japanese actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Masami Nagasawa. (Photo : Reuters)

Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are the only "Furious 7" actors who have confirmed to be part of the "Furious 8" cast so far. To surpass the box office success of "Furious 7," the post-Paul Walker sequel should add new cast members such as Zhang Ziyi.

"Furious 8" is happening with its official date confirmed to be on April 14, 2017. Statham recently told Access Hollywood that they are already talking about the sequel and as a newcomer, he "just got invited to the party in this last one" so for him, it is nice to know he is going to be doing another.

Adding Zhang in "Furious 8" will be particularly interesting as there are no Asian actors in the main cast of "Furious 7." Among the Asian actors who played supporting roles in the Walker's last "Fast & Furious" film are Tony Jaa, Sung Kang and Ali Fazal as Kiet, Han and Safar, respectively.

Zhang has yet to star in a Hollywood car chase film so having her in "Furious 8" will be something new for "Fast & Furious" film franchise fans. Bringing the Chinese superstar's martial arts moves in a car chase film is something Hollywood has yet to do.

Known for her films "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "House Of The Flying Daggers," Zhang is set to reprise her role in John Woo's "The Crossing 2" with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Marami Nagasawa.

Meanwhile, fans of the Chinese superstar are puzzled whether she and her fiancé Wang Feng, who appeared as coach of "The Voice Of China" seasons 2 to 4, have wed or split. Under Hong Kong marriage, the three-month deadline for their marriage laws was on June 29, Monday, but the two were not sighted at the marriage registry on that day, Straits Times reported.

Do you think adding Zhang Ziyi to the "Furious 8" cast would be a great idea? Let us know by commenting below.

(Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of Yibada.)

[GeneChing]

How many large explosions have there been in Iceland exactly? I've never thought of Iceland as a particularly explosive place.

‘Fast 8’ to Be Filmed in Akranes
BY VALA HAFSTAD CULTURE January 26, 2016 12:05 Updated: January 26, 2016 13:47


Akranes. Photo: Páll Stefánsson.

The Hollywood film Fast 8, the eighth of The Fast and the Furious action movies, will be partly shot in the West Iceland town of Akranes, about 45 km (28 miles) north of Reykjavík, Vísir reports. Mayor Regína Ásvaldsdóttir confirmed this. She told Vísir the film crew will be arriving in April.

Residents of Akranes received the news at their þorrablót gathering. “Surely, this is an extensive project and will affect retail and service in town,” Regína said. She claims residents are excited.

This won’t be the first time for Akranes to be the stage for filming. Part of the US science fiction web TV series Sense8 was shot at the town’s hospital. This time, shootings will mostly take place by the harbor and in the so-called Cement Fields.

Vísir reports the crew has plans to carry out the largest explosion ever in Iceland.

The Fast and the Furious films, have enjoyed great popularity, but the subject is mainly street racing . The latest such film, Furious 7, ranks sixth on record in ticket sales worldwide, grossing ISK 200 billion (USD 1,515 million, EUR 1,400 million).

[GeneChing]

Charlize Theron Joins ‘Fast 8’
Film Reporter Justin Kroll @krolljvar


REX SHUTTERSTOCK

APRIL 7, 2016 | 09:59AM PT
Charlize Theron has officially joined the cast “Fast 8,” the next installment in Universal’s long-running “Fast and Furious” franchise, sources confirm to Variety.

Details behind the role are vague, but she’s expected to be playing some sort of villain. The studio went to the star early for the role, but because the script was still being written, Theron did not want to commit to anything until a finished draft was completed.

Even after a script was finished by Chris Morgan and Theron was happy with the end result, she still had to weigh her options as the actress was also attached to star in the Sony spy thriller “The Grey Man,” which is considered a huge franchise opportunity for Theron and Sony. Insiders say since the “Grey Man” script was originally intended for a man, Sony had the script rewritten; because of delays in delivering a brand new script, Theron’s schedule opened up, eventually leading to talks with the two parties.

The latest installment begins production this summer with a planned April 14, 2017, release. Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez will reprise their roles, with F. Gary Gray taking over the directing reins. Neil Moritz and Diesel will produce.

Theron, who is repped by WME, can be seen next in “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” as well as “Brain on Fire” opposite Chloe Moretz. Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.

What? No female MMA champs yet?

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Fast 8 could've knocked it out of the ballpark like xXx3 if they added some Chinese to the cast. Maybe it'll still do well.

Universal's 'Fast 8' Lands China Release Date (Exclusive)
12:32 AM PST 3/6/2017 by Patrick Brzeski


'The Fate of the Furious'

'Furious 7,' the most recent film in the franchise, earned a historic $390 million in China in 2015 and remains Hollywood's biggest release ever there.

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!

Universal's highly anticipated The Fate of the Furious — the eighth film in the Fast and Furious franchise — has secured a release date in China, the world's second-largest box-office territory.

Fast 8 will open in the Middle Kingdom on Friday, April 14, the same day it debuts in North America and several major markets worldwide, including the U.K. and India. A source close to China's Film Bureau shared the date with THR on Monday.

A spokesperson in Universal Pictures' Beijing office declined to comment.

So far, Fast 8 has the mid-April frame to itself in China. Paramount's Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson, will open the week prior on April 7, while Sony's Smurfs: The Lost Village will debut April 21.

The preceding film in the franchise, Furious 7, became a historic box-office success in China upon its release in 2015. The film, directed by James Wan and the last to co-star the late Paul Walker, set a still unbroken opening-day record of $68.8 million. It went on to become the biggest imported title ever in the Chinese market, earning $390 million — almost $40 million more than the blockbuster pulled in from North America.

The eight installment of the franchise is from director F. Gary Gray and once again stars regulars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson — whose characters will be squaring off against one another. Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Kurt Russell are returning for Fast 8, while Charlize Theron is joining the Furious family in a villain role and Scott Eastwood is also among the cast's new faces.

Diesel is coming off another major win in the China market. In February, his xXx: Return of Xander Cage scored a $61.9 million opening weekend, the biggest bow by an imported film so far this year. Its China total currently stands at $155.6 million.

[GeneChing]

I was invited to a screener to this tonight but I don't have the time to go or to write up the review right now

Besides, unlike the last two installments (6 & 7), there isn't a strong martial arts connection.

'The Fate of the Furious' Sets Chinese Ticket Presales Record
5:09 AM PDT 4/11/2017 by Patrick Brzeski


Universal Studios
'The Fate of the Furious'

'Furious 7,' the most recent film in the franchise, earned a historic $390 million in China in 2015 and remains Hollywood's biggest release there ever.

Universal's The Fate of the Furious doesn't open in China until Friday, the same day it gets released in North America and many other major markets around the world. But the much anticipated eighth installment in the car chase franchise is already revving its engines mightily.

The movie, directed F. Gary Gray and once again starring regulars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, has smashed China's all-time ticket presales record, data from Beijing-based box-office tracker Ent Group shows.

As of Tuesday, the film had earned $18.1 million (RMB 125 million) in advanced ticketing revenue, well beyond prior record-holder Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, a local blockbuster produced by Stephen Chow, which notched RMB 101 million ($14.6 million at current exchange rates) in presales in January (the film went on to earn $240 million). Fast 8's presales kicked off April 2.

The film has also hit a new all-time high for advanced Imax sales in China, pulling in $2.4 million (RMB 16.5 million) so far, unseating prior record-holder Captain America: Civil War, which took approximately RMB 10 million ($1.4 million at current rates) in Imax presales last year, according to leading local movie site Mtime.

Expectations for the Fate of the Furious in China are running understandably high. Furious 7, the preceding film in the franchise, became a historic box-office success upon its release in the country in 2015. Directed by James Wan and the last in the series to co-star the late Paul Walker, the film set a still unbroken local opening-day record of $68.8 million. It went on to become the biggest imported title ever in the Chinese market, earning $390 million — almost $40 million more than the blockbuster pulled in from North America.

Whether the new film can scale those heights remains an open question. After expanding by an average of 35 percent each year for a decade, the Chinese box office has experienced a prolonged slump over the past 12 months. Total box office grew just 3.7 percent in 2016, and the last $200 million-plus Hollywood release was Legendary's Warcraft ($220.8 million) last July. The strong presales are an unequivocally good sign for Universal and its Beijing-based slate financing partner Perfect World Pictures, though.

Universal declined to comment directly on the advanced sales numbers, but a spokesperson in their Beijing office offered, "What we can say now is we are excited about all of the signs, and really look forward to seeing the performance in the market soon."

Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Kurt Russell are returning for Fast 8, while Charlize Theron joins the Furious family in a villain role and Scott Eastwood is also among the cast's new faces.