Vin Diesel Wants Rob Cohen to Come Back and Direct FURIOUS 8
Vin Diesel has taken to his Facebook page to talk more about Universal Pictures' Furious 8, and he says that he his hoping to get the original Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen back to helm it. The actor says:
"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.
"Ultimately we all want the best film to honor what we have created and what you the audience has adopted as your favorite franchise. I will leave this matter in the studios hands for a moment while I release The Last Witch Hunter and start production of the long awaited “Xander Returns”.
Again, we make these films with Our hearts."
If they want to bring back someone who worked on the original film to develop Furious 8, I'd much rather see David Ayer direct it. As much as I enjoyed Cohen's The Fast and the Furious, that was the last decent movie that he made. After seeing directors like Justin Lin and James Wan take the franchise to awesome and exciting new levels, going back to a mediocre director like Cohen just seems like a step in the wrong direction.
I know Diesel wants to honor the fans and the franchise, but he can do that by bringing in a great director that has the talent to make a great film. Who knows, though, maybe if Cohen is brought in to direct it he will deliver something unexpectedly badass.
Universal Pictures is looking to release Furious 8 on April 14th, 2017. Do you think Cohen would be a good director to bring back? If not, who would you like to see take on the next chapter in the franchise?
Posted by Vin Diesel on Tuesday, September 29, 2015