The subject of who is going to direct FAST 8, and whether Vin Diesel’s reluctance is the reason they haven’t offered (or at least officially signed) anyone yet, has been a hot subject over the past week and a half or so. Now, Heroic Hollywood has the name of someone Vin might actually be keen on: series originator Rob Cohen.
It started yesterday when Vin Diesel posted photos of he and Rob on both his Facebook and Instagram accounts. His Insta post even featured a caption that was very much a tribute to Cohen, even possibly implying that Paul Walker is recommending him for the gig from beyond the grave:
That alone could mean anything, but Umberto at HH claims his sources are insisting that Diesel is doing this to help get Cohen back aboard the franchise for FAST 8. He even has a quote from someone who shared Vin’s thinking: “What better way to end the last Fast trilogy than with the director who jump started it?”
So he'd be directing all three of the final films, or just FURIOUS 8? And doesn't the wording of that kind of imply that he'd be doing 10 and not 8?
The idea is that after the loss of Paul Walker and the departure of Jeffrey Kirschenbaum from universal, Vin wants to bring in some familiar blood before the series strays too far from its (relatively) humble beginnings. I have to admit, without Walker’s Brian (or Jordana Brewster's Mia) and with The Rock, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham now running with the gang, it’s already teetering very close to feeling more like Universal’s BIG BAD CAR FRANCHISE than the urban, street-race-heavy first film(s), even with Michelle Rodriguez in tow.
One hurdle is that Cohen was previously set to direct the ROAD HOUSE remake, but when Ronda Rousey was announced as the lead earlier this month, Cohen’s name wasn’t mentioned, so he might be totally free to hop onto this. Another problem is that Universal apparently wants someone young and fresh, like Justin Lin or James Wan, and maybe doesn’t want to trust their hottest, hippest franchise with the 66-year-old director of THE SKULLS, DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY, and DRAGONHEART. Plus, hasn’t the style of the series deviated almost completely from Cohen’s aesthetic on the first film?
All that being said, one of the biggest, most enduring draws of this series is it’s (admittedly thin) emphasis on “family,” and Cohen, by nature of being the guy who not only kickstarted the franchise but personally brought Diesel onboard, is still arguably part of the core group, even though he’s been off doing his own thing for the past 14 years. Another thing going for Cohen is that, after a decade of bombs (STEALTH, MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, and ALEX CROSS), he just had a surprise hit with THE BOY NEXT DOOR (I know, “That was him?!”), so he’s got a little heat back on him right now.
I’ll bet one of the problems that Uni has with Diesel is stuff like this, where he puts out there on his massive social media network without going through the proper channels, and then sites like us and HH put up these stories based on his vague intimations. If the studio and Moritz really don’t want Cohen, then Cohen isn’t going to direct for them, and if Vin campaigns too aggressively for a certain guy/girl and loses, then the public is thoroughly aware about the creative differences going on behind the scenes, which no one wants. But don’t forget, Cohen was a very successful producer before he even started directing, which may prove an asset; this is a series that already has a bunch of cooks in its kitchen, so to speak, and any director they get will only have so much creative control (which is allegedly what drove off James Wan). Cohen could totally jump in and play around with the cast, budget, and toys that have already been assembled, as well as injecting the proceedings with a little juice (pun intended) where it needs it.
And in the end, if it makes Vin happy, they should do it. Because, even though they can’t admit it, he is the franchise, and without him (or his public support), they got nothin'.
If they refuse, he and Cohen should just leave and make XxX 3: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE the same way they bailed on 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS for the first one.
We’ll see if FAST & FURIOUS 8 can make it to the finish line by April 14th, 2017.
