Asking F. Gary Gray to direct “The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth chapter in the hugely popular “The Fast and the Furious” movie franchise, was a no-brainer for the folks at Universal.
He’d just made the studio’s hit N.W.A music biopic “Straight Outta Compton.” He’d helmed a successful car-caper film before, the 2003 “The Italian Job.” Gray had even worked with many members of the sequel’s sprawling cast before: Vin Diesel on “A Man Apart,” Jason Statham and new villain Charlize Theron on “Italian Job,” Dwayne Johnson on “Be Cool.”
Although the South Central L.A.-raised Gray and Universal had enjoyed a great working experience with “Compton,” the filmmaker had one concern before taking on their golden baby, though.