'Fast 8' news, updates: Surprise screening of 'The Fate of the Furious' at CinemaCon

The eighth installment in the "Fast and Furious" franchise is expected to launch this April. Recently, at this year's CinemaCon, the panel held a surprise screening for the upcoming film.

Promotional image "Fast 8"Facebook/FastandFurious

In the upcoming film, Dom (Vin Diesel) will be coerced by Cipher (Charlize Theron), the franchise's first female villain, back into the world of crime. From the clip shared at CinemaCon, Dom turns his back on his family and his closest friends to help Cipher steal Russian-made nuclear weapons.

Speaking to audiences at the event, Diesel said nothing but good words to describe this installment's big bad. According to Diesel, his "whole career was leading up to working with this incredibly brilliant talent (referring to Theron)."

Fans who were at the event also spoke highly of "The Fate of the Furious." Even though the clip was brief, film critics and press people who attended the event were convinced that the upcoming installment will not disappoint.

Peter Sciretta, owner and editor of Slash Film, took to Twitter to share his thoughts. He wrote, "The Fate of the Furious takes the ridiculousness of the franchise to a whole new level, yet feels very different. Should be a gigantic hit."

Gizmodo reporter Germain Lussier also shared, "The Fate of the Furious is another winning entry in the franchise. Crazy, fun, and yet very different feeling. I laughed, I cried, I cheered."

Eric Vespe of Ain't it Cool News said that he adored every second of the special screening of "The Fate of the Furious." Meanwhile, Jeff Sneider, editor-in-chief of The Tracking Board, admitted that the film has great action scenes. However, he stated that he is getting "too old" for the franchise. According to him, the film is not the same anymore. 

Fans can expect Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Jason Statham to rejoin Diesel in "The Fate of the Furious." Like Theron, actress Helen Mirren has been added to the franchise. Her role, however, has yet to be revealed.

While the cast are doing promotions for the show, rumor has it that Diesel and Johnson, who previously butted heads, are being separated for the press tour of "The Fate of the Furious."

To note, the feud became public shortly after Johnson ranted about a "candy ass" co-star on set. It was later on revealed that the actor Johnson was referring to was Diesel, who reportedly arrived late for his final scene with him.

"The Fate of the Furious" is expected to debut on April 14.