'The Fate of the Furious': What does the new 'Fast & Furious' title mean?

The eighth installment in the wildly successful Fast & Furious franchise now has a title. It was announced Friday on the film's Twitter page, just days before the first trailer will be released, that the title will be The Fate of the Furious. 

While the first film in the series, The Fast and the Furious, was a simple car racing film, the franchise has evolved into so much more. With seven films currently released, the Fast & Furious franchise has become one of the most successful in recent memory. The most recent film, Furious 7, which was delayed after the tragic death of series star Paul Walker, earned over an unfathomable $1.51 billion at the worldwide box office. 

The last few films have brought the series into new territory, featuring major heists, international espionage and military action. And The Fate of the Furious looks to keep pumping up the volume. 

What does the title mean?

First of all, it cannot be easy having to come up with titles for a film franchise that has now stretched eight movies, and is rumored to go as far as 10. The Fast & Furious franchise has always liked to play around with the numbers in their titles. There was 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 and, most recently, Furious 7. And it does not look like it bucked the trend this time.

The Fate of the Furious could be as simple as the phonetic spelling of "F8 of the Furious." After all, the film has been using #F8 in most social media posts. Of course, it may not be so cute. Perhaps, it signals the fate of one of the main characters. Could a main character die? It certainly is possible, if Universal Pictures is looking to thin down the ensemble (and up the stakes) for future films. 

Check out the official synopsis (via Coming Soon) below:

Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game — and the rest of the crew has been exonerated — the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Oscar winner Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can't seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.

The Fate of the Furious stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell. Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron are newcomers to the franchise.

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