“The Fate of the Furious” is upping the ante yet again. Fans can expect ta whole lot of flashy action sequences in addition to torpedoes, a car stampede in New York City, and a rogue Dom.
The well-loved franchise is pushing the envelope further than previous “Fast & Furious” instalments by making this latest adventure an international affair. The movie was shot in various parts of the globe – from New York to Cuba and Iceland, before returning to Los Angeles, the place where it all began.
The official synopsis for “The Fate of the Furious” is as follows:
“Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game-and the rest of the crew has been exonerated-the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.
From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.”
Ahead of its release next month, we’ve decided to shed some light on what viewers can expect from the highly-anticipated movie. Here are some interesting fun facts about “The Fate of the Furious” and its characters:
1. Brian O’Connor may be gone, but he’s not forgotten
After Paul Walker’s tragic death, “Furious 7” was finished with the help of CGI and the late actor’s brothers, who acted as stand-ins. Although Brian O’Connor is no longer an integral part of storyline, his presence is still clearly felt. The new trailer pays tribute to Walker by including a glimpse at a photograph showing Dom and Letty together with Brian, Mia and their son during happier times.
It’s touching to see that Walker is still very much alive here.
2. Meet the baddest bitch in town, Cipher
Universal previously mentioned that Charlize Theron’s Cipher would be the most formidable villain ever for the franchise. We also know that she has a thing for machine guns and Metallica.
“Cipher, her character, is forcing Dom in to a place we have not seen. I first imagined her joining our saga back in 2012 when we were filming “Fast 6” in London, but life has a way of dictating when your vision is manifested. Wait until you meet Cipher, of all her films you have never seen this character she has created… She has truly brought her A game to this saga and we are all grateful for it,” Vin Diesel previously shared.
3. Dom takes a dark turn
One of the major turning points for the “Fast & Furious” franchise will happen when Dom Torreto decides to change lanes to the dark side. The reason for him becoming a villain remains unknown, other than the fact that high-tech terrorist Cipher has some sort of dirt on Dom and is forcing him to do her dirty work.
Although Vin Diesel didn’t elaborate much, the 49-year-old actor revealed that this surprising change was necessary to keep the story relevant. “We have been talking the talk. Now it was time to walk the walk. 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,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
4. The Rock goes to jail
What, of all people is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character, agent Luke Hobbs, doing behind bars? It’s possible that he has been framed by Cipher. There is also another likelihood that Hobbs goes undercover in prison to carry out a mission that brings him face to face with Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham). We’re leaning on the latter.
Worry not fans, Johnson already revealed that Hobbs will be breaking out of prison. “When our ‘Fast & Furious’ writer Chris Morgan said to me months ago, ‘How insane would it be if in Fast 8, Hobbs was sentenced to the most hard core maximum security prison in the world!?’ To which I responded, ‘How even more insane and fun for the fans would it be if Hobbs said f**k this, I’m gettin’ out… try and stop me.’ Our goal here was to give you – the fans – a ‘holy shit’ iconic prison breakout. For days our intensity was through the roof. As it should be,” the actor shared.
5. How Helen Mirren got her role
Helen Mirren didn’t need any convincing to join the franchise. In fact, the Oscar winner was the one who reached out and asked if she could be a part of “The Fate of the Furious”. Word on the street has it that Mirren will be playing the mother of Owen and Deckard Shaw, Mrs. Shaw.
Diesel recalled the time when Mirren approached him, saying, “People don’t know that I’m the one working for a year beforehand with the writers and coming up with the story. She came up to me at a party last year and said, ‘I want to be in Fast & Furious with you.’ The script was (already) green-lit, but she told the right person, because a week later she got written in.”
6. This “Tokyo Drift” character will be returning
Although Lucas Black had a small cameo in “Furious 7”, according to Comic Book, the actor will be reprising his role as Sean Boswell and will have a bigger role in “The Fate of the Furious”. It has also been announced that Black has signed on to appear in “Fast & Furious 9” and “Fast & Furious 10”. Many of you may remember Sean Boswell as the bad-boy outlaw from Texas who was sent to Texas to clean up his act.
7. Over-the-top new vehicles revealed
It goes without saying that the real stars from “The Fate of the Furious” are the cool new rides. Whether you are a fan of the previous movies or not, you have to admit that the franchise has featured some of the coolest and strangest collection of cars. As the franchise has evolved over the years, so have the vehicles.
From the images above, these epic new vehicles are properties of the main members. Labelled as the ice cars of #F8 on Facebook, fans can expect the all-star cast to race on ice as they take on a submarine in Iceland.
8. Pitbull, J Balvin, and Camila Cabello throw a high-speed dance party in “Hey Ma”
Bootylicious babes, slick cars, and colourful dance sequences – Latin chart powerhouses Pitbull, J Balvin, and Camila Cabello are bringing the heat to the streets of Miami in their “Hey Ma” music video. One can certainly appreciate Mr Worldwide’s ability to dance his face off without breaking a sweat in the visual for this Spanish-language song. It’s also cool to watch the former Fifth Harmony member embracing her passion for music and love for Cuba.
Get your adrenaline pumping with the trailer here:
“The Fate of the Furious” opens in theatres on 14th April 2017.
Sources: Screen Rant, Movie Web, Comic Book, Fuse, Games Radar / Featured image: Universal Pictures.
