Charlize Theron is joining the cast of Fast 8

Charlize Theron is officially joining the cast of F. Gary Gray's Fast 8. According to Variety, the particulars regarding Theron's role aren't exactly clear, but it's likely she's going to play some sort of villain. She's been circling the project for a while, but the combination of Theron's crowded production schedule and her desire to evaluate a finished script meant it took a while to lock down her participation. She'll have at least one evil partner: Game of Thrones' Kristofer Hivju (aka Tormund Giantsbane, the prominent wildling raider) is also playing a baddie, according to Slashfilm.

Theron is one of the toughest, most intimidating actors working — you've seen Mad Max: Fury Road, right? — and the prospect of watching her tangle with Dom Toretto and Luke Hobbs is pretty thrilling. She's going to remain a fixture on theater screens in the year between now and Fast 8's release: The Huntsman: Winter's War is debuting this month, and Theron has a handful of other movies landing in the next year. Variety also notes that she's attached to an upcoming Sony spy thriller known as The Grey Man, which is being delayed while its script is reconfigured for a female lead; Sony's hoping it'll become a franchise. All of that's exciting, but I have the feeling Fast 8 just jumped to the top of most of her fans' must-watch lists. It enters production this summer, and it's scheduled to premiere on April 14th, 2017.

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