The director of 'Straight Outta Compton' has signed on for 'Furious 8'

Director F. Gary Gray is sticking at Universal for his next project. After directing the studio's surprise summer hit "Straight Outta Compton," it looks like he's now taking on the next film in their lucrative "Fast & Furious" franchise.

The Hollywood Reporter was first to report that the studio is exclusively talking with Gray to direct "Furious 8." 

News surfaced on Monday that Universal had narrowed the list of directors to Gray, Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter," "Now You See Me"), and indie genre director Adam Wingard ("You're Next," "The Guest").

Previously, THR reported that Universal was having trouble finding a director for the project after James Wan, who led "Furious 7" to a $1.5 billion worldwide gross, said he would not return.

Rumors swirled that the franchise's star, Vin Diesel, might direct the film, but the actor told fans on Facebook that wouldn't be the case. He also promised he would write a followup Facebook post once he knew who the director would be. 

True to his word, the action star updated his Facebook cover photo Monday evening to this one with himself and Gray posing next to a "Fast & Furious" poster. 

PostbyVin Diesel.

This will not be Gray's first time directing an action thriller. Gray, who is best known for directing the comedy classic "Friday," also directed "The Italian Job" in 2003 starring Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, and Charlize Theron.

This also won't be Gray's first time working with Diesel. The pair teamed for the cop drama "A Man Apart" in the early 2000s.

But this will certainly be Gray's first time taking on a franchise that's so popular. The "Fast & Furious" films have earned close to $4 billion worldwide in theaters, and Diesel promised fans that the series will conclude with a final trilogy.

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