Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel poses for photographers during a handprint and footprint ceremony honoring the actor at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles April 1, 2015. Reuters/Phil McCarten

Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are among the “Furious 7” actors who have been confirmed to reprise their respective roles in the eight instalment of the Universal Pictures film franchise. Among the locations being considered for the film is Cuba.

Plans for “Furious 8” are still being worked out, but the studio wants to shoot part of the film in Cuba. In a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly, a spokesman for Universal Pictures said that the studio is “currently in the process of seeking approval from the United States and Cuban governments to explore shooting a portion of the next installment of the ‘Fast & Furious’ series in Cuba.”

The news came almost a year after the United States and Cuba started to normalise diplomatic relations under Barack Obama’s administration after five decades of animosity. Currently, Hollywood companies are also looking for ways to gain a base in the Latin American country.

“Furious 8” filmmakers have made a research trip to Cuba to look at possible locations. However, an insider told Variety that things are still in the exploratory phase.

Cuba is not the first exotic location in a “Fast and Furious” film. In its previous instalments, Tokyo, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro and the Canary Islands are among the international locations, in which action set pieces were staged for the Universal Pictures film franchise.

Having Cuba as a “Furious 8” film location is said to be an advantage because the action film franchise has an avid Hispanic audience. The only Hollywood film previously shot in Cuba was the indie film titled “Papa,” which was set during the Cuban Revolution and starred Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, “Furious 8” is set to be released on April 14, 2017. Along with Diesel, Johnson and Statham, the eighth instalment of the action film franchise will also star Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez.