18 Jul – Horror film guru James Wan came as a surprise choice to replace director Justin Lin, who has been directing the "Fast And The Furious" franchise since "Tokyo Drift", as the new director for the upcoming "Fast And Furious 7". Wan revealed in an interview about how the "Fast And Furious 7" storyline managed to grab his attention and that it was Wan's pitch that convinced the producers of "Fast 7" to hire him for the job. "I really like the theme of this next one that we're going with. I can't really talk about it, but I like the theme; it's one that I really relate to. Then there's the drive of Number Seven, which was set up at the end of Number Six, which is a classic revenge story," says Wan.
"I'm a big fan (of the genre), so that's how I'm approaching it. I'm looking at it like a gritty, 70s revenge thriller, but one that still fits into the "Fast And Furious" series." He also cited films like "The French Connection" and "Death Wish" as inspirations for his take on the franchise. Vin Diesel also stated that the new installation of the franchise will take place in Los Angeles. James Wan is currently juggling both the production of "Fast 7" and promotions for his new film "The Conjuring", out on 1 August in Malaysia, and 15 August in Singapore.