<em>Straight Outta Compton</em> director set for <em>Fast & Furious 8</em>

Los Angeles — F. Gary Gray, who made waves this summer with his profitable and critically acclaimed N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, has been set to direct the eighth film in the Fast & Furious franchise.

Gray announced the news on Instagram on Thursday and Universal Pictures confirmed.

I could not have asked for better partners than Vin, Neal, & the Universal family. Together we are excited to bring you the next chapter in the Fast & Furious saga. #FastFamily @vindiesel @mrodofficial @therock @tyrese @ludacris @jasonstatham

A photo posted by F Gary Gray (@fgarygray) on Oct 8, 2015 at 11:06am PDT

Star and producer Vin Diesel posted a photo of himself and Gray with some Fast & Furious images on Facebook earlier this week, hinting that the Compton director was indeed the front runner to take over the extremely successful series.

Furious 7, released earlier this year and grossed a staggering $1.5 billion worldwide. James Wan directed that film, which featured Paul Walker's final appearance in the series. Walker died in 2013.

The eighth installment is set for an April 14, 2017 release.