Jason Statham confirms Furious 8 return

Jason Statham in a scene from Furious 7. Released April 2015, it was partially filmed in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Universal Pictures

Jason Statham is the latest cast member to be confirmed for a return to the Fast and the Furious fold in the forthcoming eighth instalment of the cars and action franchise.

Producers have not confirmed whether Statham’s Deckard Shaw will be the main villain next time around, although his character did end the last movie in an impenetrable isolation cell. What could possibly go wrong there?

"We're already talking about doing another one, part 8," said Statham in a recent interview with Access Hollywood. "I'm a newcomer, I just got invited to the party in this last one, so it's nice to know I'm going to be doing another."

We already know Kurt Russell is likely to have his character’s involvement beefed up for the sequel following the loss of Paul Walker, so it will be interesting to see how the franchise’s updated cast evolves.

Long-time franchise stars including Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are also set to return to No 8, which will open in the US on 14 April 2017. A new director has yet to be confirmed.