Universal Pictures Can't Find Anyone To Direct Fast & Furious 8

The seventh instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise grossed £983 million ($1.5 billion) across the globe this year, so you’d think that being given the opportunity to direct Furious 8 would be high on many people’s list. Nope. Universal Pictures is reportedly struggling to find someone to direct the next film, after Jeremy Wan turned down a "life-altering" sum of money to continue in his role.

Universal has also tried to bring back Justin Lin, the man responsible for directing the third through sixth movies, but he turned the role down to work on the next Star Trek film instead. The problem, it appears, is that despite the high profile role and truckloads of cash on offer, a number of factors are proving unappealing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vin Diesel was incredibly difficult to work with in his role as producer on the last movie. He would stop filming to question even the smallest details in a scene, holding up production on an already tight schedule following the death of Paul Walker.

Vin Diesel was also known to demand late night script sessions to help him get to know his character and his lines. That must have been particularly frustrating for his co-workers as Dominic Toretto is essentially a human battering ram who occasionally grumbles something about ‘family.’

On a personal note for Wan, it is believed that he found working on Furious 7 so stressful that it even affected his personal health. Following Walker’s death, the script had to be hugely altered and CGI body doubles had to be inserted into some scenes.

Naturally, all parties have denied any friction, but the truth of the matter is that Universal has been scrambling around for potential directors without any luck. Furious 8 is pencilled in for an April 2017 release, and as the days roll by without a director at the helm, that release date looks less and less likely.