‘Fast 8’ adds Helen Mirren to New Cast, Admits to Loving the Film Series; Charlize Theron’s Villain Likened to Hannibal Lecter

‘Fast 8’ is set to feature Helen Mirren after the actress signed in to join the new cast. Mirren admitted that she always loved the film series. Meanwhile, Charlize Theron’s new villain was likened to the iconic antagonist Hannibal Lecter from ‘Silence of the Lambs’.

According to E! Online, Mirren will be joining franchise newcomers Charlize Theron and Scott Eastwood in the upcoming eighth installment of the ‘Fast and the Furious’ cinematic series directed by F. Gary Grey.

She confirmed her involvement in the film during an interview with Elle. She said, "I've always rather loved driving. I said, 'I'll be in it, but only if I'm allowed to drive if I do drive in it.' But we'll see. We'll see how it transpires.”

Mirren added, “Film is a wonderful thing and it can be so many different things. I don't want to turn my back on any of the different ways movies can be. I love the movies. I love going to the films. I like very serious films, I love foreign films, and I love big, fun movies—as long as they're well made and they've got good scripts. That's the most important thing."

During a previous interview with Yahoo, Mirren admitted that she had always been a fan of the franchise. According to CNET, she said, "My great ambition is to be in a Fast and Furious movie. I so want to be a mad driver in a Fast and Furious movie. My claim to fame is I always do my own driving."

The versatile Oscar-winning actress worked in a variety of Hollywood productions ranging from historical drama films to comedy and action-thriller films. Some of her most notable films include 1984’s ‘Cal’, 1989’s ‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover’, 2003’s ‘Calendar Girls’, 2006’s ‘The Queen’, and 2014’s ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’.

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for Performing Arts in 2003 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Meanwhile, Theron’s new villain was likened to Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in ‘Silence of the Lambs’. According to AV Club, composer Brian Tyler commented on Theron’s Cipher during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Tyler said, “It’s like a siren kind of thing… There’s no question the havoc and villainy she brings [but] you’re attracted to it. There’s something where you can kind of see yourself in this villain that makes it more disturbing and, at the same time, more interesting. It’s the sympathetic villains, in a way, who really get under your skin.”

He added, “In a much different way, but like how Anthony Hopkins did Hannibal Lecter, where you like him, but you’re like, ‘Wait, why am I doing that? I shouldn’t be rooting for this person.’ She has that ability to do that. She’s just a fantastic actor.”

‘Fast 8’ is an upcoming action-thriller film in the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise. It is scheduled to premiere in the United States on April 14, 2017.

Its predecessor, ‘Furious 7’, is considered the highest-grossing film in the franchise after earning $1.5 billion worldwide against a $190 million production budget.