Getting behind the wheel! Scott Eastwood will star alongside Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster and more in the upcoming Fast and Furious movie, Fast 8. The actor — son of the legendary Clint Eastwood — announced the casting news via Instagram on Monday, April 11.
“It’s hard to put into words how excited I am for the next Fast & Furious. To me, the series is so much more than just a franchise. It’s a legacy,” the Suicide Squad star, 30, wrote. “These great actors who have been in it together for so long have become a family. I absolutely can’t wait to join it.”
Eastwood also revealed some details about his character’s backstory. “Now I can’t say too much, but I get to play a new character who operates under Kurt Russell in the movie, which is incredible, because Kurt was a total childhood hero of mine growing up,” he continued. “Very much looking forward to learning a thing or two from such an original and cool guy.”
Eastwood, it turns out, has a special connection to the successful franchise. (Furious 7 made more than $1.5 billion worldwide, beating out the animated blockbuster smash Frozen as the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time.) The actor was close with the late Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in 2013 at the age of 40. Walker starred in the franchise as Brian O’Conner and was in the middle of filming Furious 7 when he passed away. After his death, Diesel announced that another Fast and Furious trilogy was on the way.
“Paul was a close friend of mine. We surfed together, traveled together, and he was a huge role model and influencing figure in my life when I was younger. He still is. He was an older brother to me. For me to be able to add to the F&F story, Paul’s story, and the FAST family is like a dream come true,” Eastwood wrote on Monday. “Gary Gray and Neal Moritz – I can’t wait to get started and dive in. Vin [Diesel] – thank you for the support and the insight. Paul – I am going to make you proud. #F8.”
Eastwood isn’t the only newcomer joining the franchise. Last week, it was revealed that Charlize Theron has also been cast, and will reportedly play some type of villain.
Fast 8 hits theaters on April 14, 2017.
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