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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is officially on board for the eighth installment of Fast and Furious, reports Collider. At a press conference promoting the brawny actor's new film, San Andreas, Johnson had a simple answer the question of whether or not he'd be in the upcoming Furious 8: "Of course. It can't go on without Hobbs."That's not far from the truth. The former WWE star has quickly become one of the best parts of the Fast and Furious franchise since his first appearance in Fast Five. His combination of commanding screen presence and comedic delivery brings some much-appreciated levity to the overwrought series. The latest Furious 7 suffered, in part, due to his limited role." "It can't go on without Hobbs.""In fact, he plays such key part of the series, that there's been rumors of a Hobbs-centered spinoff film, because the endless supply of Fast and Furious films definitely isn't enough. At the same press event, Johnson answered a question regarding a possible spinoff thusly:

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Beyond that, this scene also provides newcomer Emmanuel, best known for her role as Emilia Clarke's right hand lady Missandei on HBO's Game of Thrones, with some more screen time. Her hacker character, Ramsey, who is responsible for creating a valuable piece of technology that escapes her control, which is the impetus for the whole Furious 7 story, doesn't really have much to do in the final film. It's kind of a waste, but this gives her something to work with, as she stands up for herself and pushes back at Dom as much as he pushes her. A scene like this could have given Ramsey some more emotional heft.While she doesn't know for certain if she'll be back for Furious 8, Nathalie Emmanuel does sound like she's more than game to ride or die with Dom and the crew another time. She said, "I really hope that happens," and went on to praise the familial bond the cast shares off screen as well as on.

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After "Furious 7" became the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time, it seemed possible the franchise would drive on and on into infinity. But Vin Diesel is pumping the breaks -- somewhat. The actor recently posted a Facebook message to say that no directors have been given an offer to make the eighth "Fast and Furious" movie. More importantly, he dropped this nugget: "I promised the studio I would deliver one last trilogy to end the saga."With Universal's plan of 10 films in the series, that implies we have three more installments to anticipate, starting with "Furious 8" scheduled for April 14, 2017. Diesel wrote that the reason none of them have a director is because "this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled." Behind the scenes, however, reports indicate everything may not be quite so sunny. Diesel posted the note two days after a Hollywood Reporter article rehashed the challenges of making "Furious 7," which took a toll on director James Wan's health, in part, sources reportedly say, because "Diesel proved extraordinarily difficult." (Wan passed on directing "Furious 8" so he could helm "The Conjuring 2.") Diesel is said to have held up production by questioning tiny details and holding late-night script sessions. Now, according to THR, some at Universal Pictures "fear" the actor might want to direct a "Furious" movie himself. Regardless, Diesel, who has been one of the franchise's producers since its fourth installment in 2009, promised his next Facebook post will announce the directors (plural). He didn't say when that would happen, but he did include a photo of himself grinning.

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Proof that Hollywood is relying more on sequels and less on original ideas? Just look at the announcements that two huge franchises, "Fast & Furious" and "Men in Black," will go on with at least three more movies -- without one of their key stars.The latest "Fast & Furious" installment, "Furious 7," had to be finished without leading actor Paul Walker after his death in a fiery car crash in 2013. "Furious 7" raked in a whopping $1.5 billion in box-office sales worldwide -- which led to widespread expectations that the show would continue to go on without Walker.There have been rumors that no one wants to direct the next Furious movies, but the franchise's other leading star and producer Vin Diesel announced on his Facebook page: "I promised the studio I would deliver one last Trilogy to end the saga. I will announce the directors on my next post..." So stay tuned for that.

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