According to a reports by The Hollywood Reporter, Fast and Furious 8‘s director F. Gary Gray recently traveled to Cuba as part of professional research trip.
Sources say the production has moved forward with the paperwork to shoot on location in Cuba.
“Universal Pictures is currently in the process 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,” said a statement from the studio.
Sources say production on Furious 8 will be based in Atlanta, Ga., but a slew of exotic locations are being eyed including Russia and Iceland.
Ernest Hemingway biopic Papa premiered last month as part of Cuba’s 37th International Festival of New Latin Cinema.
Papa, based on a true story, follows journalist Ed Myers (Giovanni Ribisi) on his adventure to Cuba during the time period preceding the 1959 revolution.
“It was an absolute passion to actually make it in Cuba where everything that is in the script happened, where the finca [farm] is where [Hemingway] lived, where his boat was, all the spots from the Morro castle to Cojimar where he fished,” Yari told Hollywood Reporter. “It’s all here, so trying to duplicate it somewhere else was not very appealing.”
(Image from Universal Studios)