Kurt Russell, Lucas Black in Fast & Furious 7
Kurt Russell is on the set of Fast & Furious 7. Lucas Black is there too, and has options for Fast & Furious 8 and 9 already. Will Kurt Russell become a regular?
Kurt Russell (far right) on the set of Fast & Furious 7, shooting in Los Angeles.
Screenshot, Vin Diesel Facebook page
Filming began this month in Los Angeles of "Fast & Furious 7." And yes, Kurt Russell is in the house.
Vin Diesel posted a photo on his Facebook page confirming the presence of Russell. But its not yet clear what role Russell is playing.
Diesel also posted a photo of Lucas Black, the star of “Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift,” who is also in Fast & Furious 7.
With the last two installments in the “Fast & Furious” franchise grossing more than $ 1.4 billion worldwide and “Fast & Furious 7″ racing into theaters next summer, Universal Pictures is already looking down the road to ”Fast & Furious 9.”
Lucas Black has options to appear in the eighth and ninth installments, a spokesperson at Black’s agency ICM Partners told TheWrap.
Universal says it’s not yet developing “Fast & Furious 8,” let alone “Fast & Furious 9,” but confirms that Black’s deal for “Fast & Furious 7″ includes options for two additional sequels — not that his character is guaranteed to survive the next movie, which opens summer 2014.
James Wan, who has guided “The Conjuring” and “Insidious Chapter 2″ to $40 million openings this year, is directing “7″ from a script by Chris Morgan – who also penned Fast & Furious 5 and 6. Neal H. Moritz is producing with Vin Diesel, who stars alongside Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou and Kurt Russell.
It’s not uncommon for studios to make talent deals ahead of time should they decide to make additional sequels, and while Universal is smart to cover its bumper, the studio may be getting ahead of itself here — after all, the “Fast & Furious” franchise flamed out once before.
Will audiences three-to-five years from now still pay to see more stories in which Dom Toretto (Diesel) races from the law? The gravity-defying action series has been trending upward at the box office, but Hollywood is a cyclical business.