Helen Mirren joins the cast of Fast & Furious 8
Well, this is a surprise
The Fast & Furious film franchise is going from strength to strength these days, but if there’s one thing that’s been missing it’s a little bit of Oscar glory. Sure, it can make millions internationally and entertain fans all around the world, but how could they get the attention of The Academy and its focus on more sedate, character-led drama?
Simple: invent a character who does the exact same high-octane action the rest of the cast do, but have them played by multiple award-winning (including an Oscar) actor Helen Mirren.
Well, at least that’s our speculation behind this brilliant casting news, which Mirren revealed in an interview with Elle saying she joined the film for “the fun of it”.
“I’ve always rather loved driving,” she told the magazine. “I said, ‘I’ll be in it, but only if I’m allowed to drive if I do drive in it.’”
“But we’ll see. We’ll see how it transpires.”
Watch out, world – considering the film’s other big new signing Charlize Theron is also an Oscar-winning actor, Fast & Furious 8 is starting to look like a major awards contender. Start your engines.
Fast & Furious 8 will be released in April 2017
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
