Fast and Furious 8 is heading in a different direction, says director

The franchise's eighth instalment won't just be "more of the same"

Fast and Furious 7

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Fast and Furious franchise - now in its 15th year - was in danger of running out of fuel.

But, despite the unprecedented global success of the past three films, new director-on-board F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) has promised fans that the eighth instalment won't merely be a retread of what's come before.

"...I'm extremely excited about the direction we're going in, and we're really pushing to make sure the audience feels like it's not more of the same.

"They feel like it's fresh, they feel like the characters they've come to know and love are there, but this is gonna be different."

Without going into specifics, it seems that the franchise is being steered down a different path following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker in 2013.

His character, Brian O'Conner, was given a fitting send-off in last summer's Fast and Furious 7 in emotional scenes completed by Walker's brother, Cody.

Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Dwayne Johnson will all return for the new film, as will Jason Statham as villain Deckard Shaw.

Fast and Furious 8 - which is set to become the first major Hollywood film to shoot in Cuba - is due in cinemas April 2017. This will be director Gray's first film of the successful franchise which Diesel recently announced would continue for "one final trilogy."