NEW YORK (Web Desk) – Dame Helen Mirren will appear in the eighth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise.
The British actress told Elle magazine she had accepted the role on condition she is allowed to do her own driving.
“I said, ‘I’ll be in it, but only if I’m allowed to drive’,” she revealed. “We’ll see how it transpires.”
The 70-year-old’s involvement in the project was later confirmed on the film’s Twitter feed in a post headed: “It doesn’t get better than this.”
It doesn’t get better than this: Helen Mirren joins the Fast Family in #F8. 4.14.17 pic.twitter.com/wCSpu8FS3u
— Fast & Furious (@FastFurious) June 15, 2016
Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron and Jason Statham are also set to appear in Fast 8, which will be released in the US and UK on 14 April 2017.
The series, which began in 2001, has enjoyed huge success with its combination of fast cars, exotic locations and often outrageous action.
Furious 7, the most recent installment, is the most successful entry to date, having made more than $1.5 billion (£1.05 billion) worldwide.
The 2015 release was tainted by tragedy when one of its stars, actor Paul Walker, was killed in a car crash towards the end of production.