The Vin Diesel-led xXx: Return of Xander Cage failed to make significant waves at the domestic box office, but is currently the top-grossing film release of 2017, with an international box office total of $330 million (and climbing). Diesel’s true powerhouse franchise, Fast & Furious, returns to theaters this spring with The Fate of the Furious - a film that may well surpass Return of Xander Cage’s total global take within the first week (or so) of its release.

The Fate of the Furious is the first Fast & Furious movie to hit the scene following Paul Walker’s untimely death during production on (and the actor’s touching onscreen sendoff in) Furious 7. As the eighth chapter in the Fast & Furious franchise overall, Fate of the Furious is throwing quite the curveball at moviegoers to keep them interested - namely, having series mainstay Dominic Toretto (Diesel) turn against his extended family.

Universal Pictures has now released a second poster for The Fate of the Furious (see below) that further alludes to the schism between Dom and his family in the film. Those who have been following development on the movie are no doubt also aware of the rumors that the ‘bad blood’ between Diesel’s Dom and Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs (seen here giving each other the side eye) in particular, may even extend offscreen.

While Universal is keeping the true reason behind Dom’s betrayal a secret for now, some clues have (naturally) revealed themselves already. For starters, Luke Evans has confirmed that Oscar-winner Helen Mirren is playing the mother of his Fast & Furious 6 character, Owen Shaw, in The Fate of the Furious. Seeing as Owen’s brother, Deckard (Jason Statham), is also part of the film, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Mamma Shaw is the one pulling Dom’s strings in the film.

The international trailer for Fate of the Furious further reveals that Dom and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are enjoying a proper honeymoon in Cuba when the movie’s main villain, Cipher (Charlize Theron), approaches Dom and somehow (blackmail?) convinces him to work for her. Whatever Cipher has planned for Dom, it’s massive and dangerous enough to get government spook Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) from Furious 7 involved and convince the Fast family to work alongside Deckard, on their latest world-saving mission.

Fate of the Furious director F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) looks to deliver on his end here, as far as providing the sort of entertainingly-ridiculous spectacle that filmgoers expect from this franchise, to go with its meaningful family melodrama. Now it remains to be seen if the true reason behind Dom’s turn to evil is equally compelling (or, failing that, wonderfully silly) by comparison.

Source: Universal Pictures

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