‘Fast and Furious 8’ Update: Should Vin Diesel take on Directing Duties?

"Fast and Furious 8" is having difficulties finding a director and according to Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter writers Matthew Belloni and Kim Masters are wondering if Vin Diesel will ask for the directing job. Diesel, after all, has starred in the franchise and knows what the audience wants.

Scott Mendelson of Forbes argued that having Diesel make his directorial debut with "Fast 8" could be a smart move. He wrote:

"Considering how associated Mr. Diesel has become with the franchise (and Furious 7 really was "Dom and Friends"), he is the must-keep-happy component of the enterprise. But actually, having Vin Diesel make his directorial debut on the eighth Fast/Furious movie might be just the marketing/buzz hook that this eighth installment needs. Now for the record, this isn't necessarily about who should be hired to make the best movie possible and all that."

Diesel, who is filming for "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage," has not made a bid yet and might not even think about doing it. The studio, however, is focused on finding a director. They have reportedly approached Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed "Non-Stop." Collet-Serra did not have time to fit the movie into his schedule.

James Wan, the director of "Furious 7" and the first choice for "Fast 8," is unavailable. Wan reportedly turned down "life-altering money," according to The Hollywood Reporter, to work on a sequel his 2013 hit, "The Conjuring." Wan also has "Aquaman" lined up.

Justin Lin, who worked on several of the movies from the franchise, turned down the directing job as well due to his commitment to "Star Trek Beyond," which has a 2016 release date.

"Fast 8" is scheduled for an April 2017 release date.