You can’t keep a good villain down, and Furious 7 star Jason Statham says he’ll be back as bad guy Deckard Shaw in the sequel to this year’s wildly successful continuation of the Fast & Furious franchise.
Of course, if you haven’t watched Furious 7 yet, you should probably consider this the obligatory SPOILER ALERT — but given how much money the movie has made so far (more than $1.5 billion worldwide), you’re in the minority (and totally missing out).
Last seen in the closing moments of Furious 7, Statham’s deadly black ops agent on a quest for vengeance was not only still among the living, but imprisoned in a subterranean prison guarded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That may not be enough to hold him, though, as Statham recently revealed that he expects to return for the next film in the series.
“We’re already talking about doing another one, Part 8,” Statham told Access Hollywood. “I’m a newcomer! I just got invited to the party in this last one so it’s nice to know I’m gonna be doing another … They’ve always got something good up their sleeve, and I don’t want to be the one who spoils the plot lines but there is some great stuff I already know about.”
Earlier this year, Furious 7 became the fastest movie to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide with an impressive 17-day run that saw it break a long list of box-office records. Its reign didn’t last long, however, as it was bumped out of the top spot in many box-office rankings earlier this week by Jurassic World, which is currently in the early stages of a massive blockbuster run.
Furious 7 currently ranks as the fourth-highest grossing film of all time worldwide, and is only a few million dollars short of the box office tally for The Avengers.
“The fanbase is really unique,” said Statham when asked about the series’ phenomenal success. “They really do relate to these characters, they love these characters, they’ve followed them for years and years.”
Franchise star Vin Diesel confirmed plans for Furious 8 earlier this year, and he’s expected to reunite with recurring cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges in the next film, as well as Johnson. Series newcomers Statham and Kurt Russell are expected to return as well.
Furious 8 is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters April 14, 2017.
