Straight Outta Compton director confirms Fast and Furious 8

F. Gary Gray is leaving the world of Compton behind and speeding off into the land of Vin Diesel's Fast and Furious.

The director behind one of the summer's most successful movies, Straight Outta Compton, confirmed on Twitter Thursday afternoon that he had reached a deal with Universal Studios to helm the next blockbuster in the Furious franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It should come as no surprise that Gray was poached for the studio's biggest franchise. Straight Outta Compton (a biopic surrounding the rapid success and troubles rap group N.W.A. faced) has grossed over $190 million to date and was met with critical praise upon release.

It's not the first action movie Gray has directed, either. After years of tackling music videos for various artists, Gray helmed the 2003 film The Italian Job (Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron) and later directed Law Abiding Citizen (Gerard Butler) in 2009.

Universal has been struggling to find a director for the next installment in the Furious series after failing to secure both Justin Lin (Fast Five, Furious 6) and James Wan (Furious 7) following months of tense negotiations.

Fast and Furious 8 is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2017.