'Furious 7' Breaks $1 Billion At The Box Office

It was bound to happen. The latest installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Furious 7 , has passed the $1 billion mark globally at the box office. In fact, Furious 7 is now the fifth highest grossing film of all time behind only Avatar, Titanic, Marvel's The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The film is currently enjoying its fourth straight week in the Number 1 slot at the national box office. Now we already know that yet another sequel is in the works with a release date of April 14, 2017. But what can we expect from the series now that Paul Walker has passed away? SPOILER ALERT, Furious 7 ended with Brian quietly retiring and enjoying his life with his wife Mia and their son. But that doesn't mean Dom has to retire as well, and considering Vin Diesel made the official announcement about the sequel. So how will the series continue?

The Fast and the Furious franchise has seen its fair share of cast shake ups in the past. Vin Diesel did not appear in the second film, the third film had a brand new cast, and the series added Dwayne Johnson to its cast in the fifth installment. So the real question is, will the 8th Fast and the Furious film add a new cast member to soften the blow of not having Paul Walker?

While the series cannot and most likely will not want to replace Walker, they might want to bring in fresh blood to make the sequel feel new and original. If this does happen, I have some ideas on the actor who should join.

1. Zoe Saldana

Watch her incredible performances and action movie badassery in Colombiana, the Star Trek films and Guardians of the Galaxy. Need I say more?

2. Karen Gillan

Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, why not include Saldana's co-star Karen Gillan into the mix? She'd bring a new fan base to the Fast and the Furious franchise thanks to her Doctor Who background, and by playing Nebula in the Marvel film she showed off her action skills. Plus she'd definitely be fresh blood to the franchise and could show off some surprise badassery in her role.

3. Maggie Q

Not only has she kicked a whole lot of ass in films like Mission Impossible III, she was also the lead on The CW's Nikita where she played the titular ex-spy.

4. Lucy Liu

Come on, this is obvious.

5. Channing Tatum

I only suggest Tatum because seeing the G.I. Joe reunion with him and Dwayne Johnson would be incredible. Also because he could easily step into this franchise and give it a huge boost. Actually can the franchise cast him and Jonah Hill together? I really just want to see some more of that Jump Street chemistry.

6. Taylor Kitsch

Maybe this is just my fragile Friday Night Lights heart talking but Taylor Kitsch deserves another big break. Hopefully that will come with his performance in the upcoming Season 2 of True Detective, but the guy needs to be in a film franchise. Obviously some movie execs saw it at one point when he was cast in John Carter and Battleship. Those were just the wrong vehicles for him. This franchise would fit perfectly.

7. Chloe Grace Moretz

Because new blood should really mean young, female badass blood. Kick-Ass proves she's meant to be a bonafide movie star in action films and beyond. Having Moretz in the next Fast and the Furious sequel would be an awesome & novel concept. The writers would just have to find the right plot to include her as organically as possible.

Images: Universal Pictures; Giphy (7)