F. Gary Gray will direct Furious 8

Variety reports that Gray will officially helm Furious 8, with pre-production beginning later this month and filming set for next year.

The news is not official, but studio executives are going to meet with producer/star Diesel and producer Neal Moritz.

Earlier this week, there was heavy speculation that Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray was in negotiations to direct Universal’s Furious 8. Vin Diesel. Kinda. Earlier in the week, Diesel sparked rumors regarding Gray’s involvement in the project when he shared an image of the director to his Facebook page.

This is not the first time that Vin Diesel will have a leading role in one of F. Gary Gray’s films. James Wan directed that film, which featured Paul Walker’s final appearance in the series. We’ve yet to hear a reaction from Diesel himself – he’s now in the middle of promoting The Last Witch Hunter – but it shouldn’t be long before he follows up; hopefully we’ll also find out how his mom feels about the whole thing. Know that he was also behind the 2003 remake The Italian Job (which wasn’t too far from the current Fast & Furious blueprint), Friday, The Negotiator, Law Abiding Citizen and so on.

Gray later collaborated again with Ice Cube behind-the-scenes of his most recent box-office hit, Straight Outta Compton.